Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has postponed polling for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections from November 3 to November 5 because the counting of votes for the urban local body (ULB) elections is to be done on November 3 under the revised schedule.

In a press release on Wednesday (October 28, 2026), State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said that after an assessment of the situation created by Cyclone Arnab, and on the basis of assurances given by the Collectors and District Election Authorities of the cyclone-affected districts, it was decided not to change the November 1 polling date for the ULBs.

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Since the available police and polling personnel were not enough to manage both the counting of votes for the ULB elections and the polling for MPTCs and ZPTCs on November 3, it has been decided to defer the MPTC and ZPTC polls to November 5.

Mr. Punetha said the ULB elections had to be postponed from October 28 to November 1 in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, which was acting on writ petitions filed by the YSR Congress Party. That moved the ULB counting to November 3, the day originally fixed for the MPTC and ZPTC polls.

Under the revised schedule, polling for MPTCs and ZPTCs will be held on November 5 and any repolling on November 6, both from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The counting of votes will be taken up on November 7, and results declared upon its completion. Under the original schedule, the votes were to be counted on November 5.

Mr. Punetha had said on Monday that the Commission would take a decision on the ULB polls only if the cyclone proved devastating.