In an apparent act of political revenge for the YSR Congress Party’s alleged bulldozing of elections in Kuppam, the bastion of Telugu Desam Party president and present Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in 2020–21, the TDP-led alliance has virtually captured Pulivendula, the stronghold of YSRCP president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, in the ongoing local body elections.

According to election officials, candidates belonging to the TDP-led coalition were elected “unanimously” in 64 of the 65 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seats and three of the seven Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) seats in the Pulivendula Assembly constituency.

The developments came as the deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the ZPTC and MPTC elections across Andhra Pradesh ended on Wednesday afternoon.

Election officials in the respective districts declared candidates elected unopposed in constituencies where only one candidate remained in the fray.

The outcome in Pulivendula is politically significant because of the constituency’s association with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s family and the YSRCP’s longstanding influence in the region.

The TDP and its alliance partners secured unanimous victories in a large number of MPTC seats across the mandals that form part of the Pulivendula constituency.

In Vempalli mandal, 17 of the 18 MPTC seats were declared unanimous. Of these, the TDP won 15 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jana Sena Party secured one seat each.

As a result, polling will be held only for the Allireddypalle MPTC seat in Vempalli mandal. In Pulivendula mandal, TDP candidates were declared elected unopposed in all five MPTC seats.

The party also secured unanimous victories in all eight MPTC seats in Vemula mandal. Similarly, TDP candidates were declared elected unopposed in all nine MPTC seats in Chakrayapeta mandal.

In Tondur mandal, all eight MPTC seats went to TDP candidates without a contest. The party also secured unanimous victories in all eight MPTC seats in Simhadripuram mandal.

The unanimous victories of TDP candidates across multiple mandals, along with the BJP and Jana Sena wins in Vempalli, have given the alliance a significant presence in the local bodies.

However, unanimous elections do not necessarily indicate the level of electoral support each party enjoys among voters, as no polling takes place in constituencies where only one candidate remains in the contest.

In the Pulivendula constituency, the only MPTC seat where a contest remains, according to the figures provided, is Allireddypalle in Vempalli mandal.