
Polling for ZPTC and MPTC seats began across Andhra Pradesh at 7 am on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and will continue till 5 pm. The State Election Commission, coordinating with police, has deployed 40,000 personnel at 31,472 booths for the elections covering 582 ZPTC and 7,778 MPTC seats.

In Nellore district, Collector and District Election Officer Himanshu Shukla inspected a polling centre at Venkatachalam and warned of stringent action against anyone disrupting the process. More than 3,000 police have been deployed for the district's 30 ZPTC seats and 34 mandals. Counting will be held at six centres across the district.
With many voters from Andhra Pradesh residing in Telangana returning to their native places, contestants in some areas arranged transport to bring voters from Hyderabad.
Both outlets report the same ZPTC and MPTC polling in Andhra Pradesh on 5 November 2026, but their figures diverge sharply. Deccan Chronicle gives a state-wide picture: 582 ZPTC seats, 7,778 MPTC seats, 31,472 polling booths and 40,000 police personnel. The Hans India covers only Nellore district, reporting 30 ZPTC seats, 34 mandals and 3,000 police, and includes the Collector's warning against disruptions. The two sets of numbers are consistent if the district-level figures are a subset of the state-wide ones, but neither source flags the difference. The omission is not a contradiction but a matter of scope. The key figure to watch is the state turnout once counting begins at the six centres Hans India names.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): thehansindia.com (neutral report), deccanchronicle.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 5 November 2026: this story now draws on 2 sources.
Update, 5 November 2026: further reports on this story from thehansindia.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com.