NDA widens vote-share lead over YSRCP in local body polls, says Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that the NDA has performed better in the recent local body elections than it did in the 2024 elections, claiming that the alliance has strengthened its electoral position and widened its lead over the YSRCP.

Commenting on the results, Chandrababu said the NDA had achieved a 94 per cent strike rate in the local body elections. He stated that the alliance's vote share had increased from 55.3 per cent in the 2024 elections to 58.9 per cent in the latest polls, describing the outcome as an endorsement of its performance.

In contrast, the YSRCP's vote share had declined from 39.81 per cent in 2024 to 33.56 per cent in the local body elections, according to the figures shared by the Chief Minister. He put the difference in vote share between the NDA and the YSRCP at 25.34 percentage points, arguing that the results reflected a significant shift in the political balance in the State.

The NDA also maintained a substantial lead in urban areas. Chandrababu said the alliance secured 59.9 per cent of the votes in urban local body elections, compared with 34.3 per cent polled by the YSRCP.

Referring to the outcome in Kuppam, Chandrababu acknowledged that the alliance had lost one MPTC seat. He said that if he had been driven by a desire to secure every seat, he might have sought to win that one as well, but made it clear that he would not permit such an approach.

“Even in Kuppam, we lost one MPTC seat. If I had been driven by such an inclination, I could have said that we should secure that one seat too. But I won't allow it. Only when people cast their votes will I know what the actual reality is,” he said.

His remarks appeared to underline the importance of allowing electoral outcomes to reflect the genuine choice of voters, even when the ruling alliance does not win every seat.

Chandrababu's assessment of the results focused on the NDA's improved vote share, its performance in urban areas and the widening gap with the YSRCP. The figures cited by him indicate that the alliance believes it has consolidated its position since the 2024 elections.