Andhra Pradesh voters will directly elect mayors and municipal chairpersons
Andhra Pradesh just switched things up: mayors and municipal chairpersons will now be chosen directly by voters, not just by elected members and eligible ex-officio members.
This means everyone on the electoral roll gets a say in who leads their city or town for the next five years.
Voter ID drive starts Sept 8
The new rules lay out how nominations, voting, and results will work.
There will only be one deputy mayor or vice chairperson per body now (still picked indirectly).
Plus, a 14-day voter-identification drive will begin on September 8 to make sure Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes, and women voters are counted for reservations.
Some urban local bodies are speeding up this process after recent court orders; others are waiting on legal decisions before moving ahead.