Political mobilisation intensifies across Tirupati district
TIRUPATI: Political activity has intensified across villages in Tirupati district as preparations for the impending local body elections gather pace, party leaders and officials said on Wednesday. The ruling TD-led alliance — comprising the Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and BJP — and the opposition YSR Congress are stepping up organisation and candidate identification at the grassroots, with both sides focusing on winnability in individual villages.
Officials confirmed that Tirupati district has 807 gram panchayats. Polls had been completed in 790 panchayats, while elections in 17 panchayats were stalled owing to pending court cases. The tenure of sarpanches in those 790 panchayats expired on 2 April. Electoral rolls for 7,370 wards in the district have been published, listing a total of 12,68,039 voters.
“Candidate selection is emerging as a key challenge,”
Party leaders said candidate selection and seat-sharing remain sensitive issues within the ruling alliance. Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and BJP leaders have been meeting local leaders and cadres to accommodate competing claims, assess local strengths and draw up strategies. The YSRCP is simultaneously intensifying its village-level activity to shore up its network and regain ground it says was lost after the 2024 Assembly elections.
- Ground strategy: Parties are identifying strong local leaders whose personal influence could determine outcomes in specific gram panchayats.
- Legal matters: Efforts are under way to resolve the court cases that halted polls in 17 panchayats so elections can be conducted there too.
- Administrative preparations: Officials are inspecting polling stations and checking basic facilities ahead of the polls, which are proposed to be held in three phases.
Greater Tirupati plan and phased polling add political uncertainty
The proposed Greater Tirupati plan has introduced additional uncertainty into local calculations. Under the proposal, 63 panchayats from five mandals could be merged with the Tirupati Municipal Corporation. Party organisers and local leaders said such a merger would alter political equations in the affected villages and could change where leaders plan to contest.
Officials said the current plan proposes polling in three phases covering the Sullurpet, Srikalahasti and Tirupati divisions. Administrative teams are engaged in finalising logistics and resolving the outstanding legal disputes that prevented elections in the 17 panchayats earlier.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Gram panchayats in Tirupati district | 807 |
| Panchayats where polls were completed | 790 |
| Panchayats with polls stalled by court cases | 17 |
| Wards (electoral rolls published) | 7,370 |
| Total voters on rolls | 12,68,039 |
| Panchayats proposed for merger into Greater Tirupati | 63 (from five mandals) |
Local party functionaries indicated that the polls will be a test of the political shifts since the 2024 Assembly elections. While the TD-led coalition holds state power, the YSRCP is working to re-establish its village-level reach. Observers say the outcome will reflect not only party strenghths but also intra-alliance dynamics over candidate selection and seat-sharing arrangements.
Administrative officials reported routine inspections of polling stations and verification of basic facilities. They are also coordinating with legal authorities to expedite resolution of the court disputes that have delayed elections in the 17 panchayats.
With voter rolls finalised and the tenure of sitting sarpanches ended, political activity across Tirupati district villages is expected to intensify further as parties finalise candidates and election strategies in the coming weeks.
