AP SEC dismisses reports of two-month delay in local body poll schedule

Metro India News | AMARAVATI : Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has dismissed reports that the announcement of the schedule for local body elections in the State would be delayed by another two months, terming the claims baseless and urging political parties and the public not to believe unverified information.

State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said in a statement that reports circulating on social media and other platforms about the election schedule were not issued by the Commission and had no factual basis.

The reports claimed that the SEC would begin the election process only after clarity emerged in court cases concerning electoral rolls and reservations and that internal preparations had already begun despite a possible delay in the elections.

Punetha clarified that these claims were fabricated and did not represent any official communication from the SEC. He urged people not to believe or circulate information attributed to the Commission without verification.

The SEC also warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading false or fabricated information in the Commission’s name. It said any official announcement regarding the election schedule would be made only through an authorised press conference or official press release.

The Commission advised the public and political parties to verify election-related information through its official website rather than relying on messages circulated through WhatsApp and social media platforms.

The clarification comes amid preparations for elections to local bodies in the State. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had recently dismissed petitions challenging the delimitation of wards in municipalities and municipal corporations. Following the court’s decision, the State government has resumed the ward delimitation process.

Preparations are also under way for rural local body elections. The five-year terms of the Mandal Praja Parishads ended on September 23, while those of the Zilla Praja Parishads ended on September 24.With the terms of the rural local bodies having expired and the legal process concerning urban ward delimitation moving forward, the timing of the next local body elections has become a matter of interest among political parties and local bodies.

The SEC, however, has not issued any schedule through the channels cited in the reports and reiterated that the election calendar would be communicated officially through its authorisedchannels.