KADAPA/TIRUPATI/ONGOLE/GUNTUR: For the second consecutive day, nominations for the urban local body elections in Andhra Pradesh were marred by violence and clashes between members of contesting parties - TDP and YSRCP.
In Pulivendula, police had to open fire in the air to disperse the volatile mob.
A tense situation was reported in Punganur, Rayachoti, Rajampet, Tirupati, Kadapa, Gurazala and Piduguralla in Palanadu, and Darsi of Prakasam district.
The escalation of hostilities paralysed normal civic life in these urban centres, forcing top-tier administrative and police leadership to step in directly to restore order.
In Pulivendula, the situation reached a boiling point when a massive procession of YSRCP supporters, led by local MP YS Avinash Reddy, attempted to force their way toward the nomination centre.
Confronted by heavy police cordons enforcing strict scheduling and entry restrictions, a fierce confrontation ensued.
As angry mobs began hurling stones—dangerously close to District Superintendent of Police Shelke Nachiket Vishwanath—law enforcement agencies were compelled to use heavy lathi-charge.
The situation deteriorated to the extent that police fired over 30 rounds of tear gas shells, and discharged multiple warning rounds into the air, including the deployment of an AK-47, to disperse the volatile crowds.
Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen and District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri subsequently rushed to the town to review security protocols, while an overnight arson attack completely gutted a YSRCP-affiliated chicken shop and multiple vehicles.
Violence also erupted across Kadapa city, where nomination venues near Mariapuram, Gandhi Nagar School, and Kagitalapenta turned into active flashpoints. Rival factions engaged in intense stone-pelting melees that wrecked vehicles and resulted in brutal knife-injury assaults.
Among the injured were former mayor Mumtaz Begum’s son, Mubarak, and two others who sustained deep stab wounds.
Clashes, attacks & arrests mar filing of nominations for ULB polls in AP
Meanwhile, Rayachoti witnessed fresh panic as the town was rattled once again by violent developments following the previous day’s unrest. Bouncers allegedly hired by the YSRCP created a major stir along the Madanapalle road in Rayachoti, wielding revolvers and attacking TDP cadre who tried to challenge them.
Prompted by the alert, local police rushed to the spot, dispersed the rival groups, and apprehended four individuals belonging to a gang from Punjab. Authorities recovered two revolvers, and approximately 30 live bullets.
Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy strongly condemned the episode, alleging that former MLA G Srikanth Reddy had deployed criminal gangs from Delhi, Hyderabad, and Punjab to orchestrate municipal poll unrest, .
Similar scenes of vandalism were reported in Rajampet.
Political friction simultaneously intensified in Tirupati, where MP Maddila Gurumoorthy and MLC Sipai Subramanyam alleged that TDP supporters forcibly snatched nomination papers meant for mayoral candidate Vasu Yadav outside the municipal corporation office.
In Punganur and surrounding Annamayya district pockets, violent clashes prompted police to register three separate cases—including one regarding retaliatory air-firing by Madanapalle DSP B Prasad, a second for election rule violations, and a third based on an injured TDP leader’s complaint.
Police identified around 70 people involved and booked several individuals, including Rajampet MP PV Mithun Reddy. Annamayya District SP Dheeraj Kunubilli ordered enhanced security arrangements. Meanwhile, tension flared in Darsi town of Prakasam district, where an intense argument and scuffle broke out between rival YSRCP and TDP leaders during the nomination filing process.
In Palnadu, police detained Gurazala Nagar Panchayat chairperson candidate Polu Veera Reddy and YSRCP leaders Y Muralidhar Reddy and K Venkateswarlu after calling them to the town police station. Former MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy was placed under house arrest.