Five injured as rival groups clash during panchayat nominations in Annamayya district

RAYACHOTI Tension prevailed in Sibyala village of Rayachoti mandal on Sunday (November 15, 2026) after rival groups turned to stone-pelting and stick attacks, casting a shadow over the first day of gram panchayat election nominations in Annamayya district. About five people were reportedly injured and shifted to Government Hospital in Rayachoti for treatment. Activists from the ruling party and the opposition reportedly clashed near noon, as the nominations schedule picked up momentum.

The slight confrontation suddenly escalated into stone-pelting and attacks with sticks. A police party from Rayachoti rushed to Sibyala and brought the tense situation under control, while the filing of nominations continued. In another incident, tension flared at Hasnapur village in Ramapuram mandal in Annamayya district, where two groups confronted each other. Police intervened in time and averted a clash, preventing the situation from escalating further.

The incidents have put the district police on high alert as nominations opened across three districts. Chittoor has 622 gram panchayats, Annamayya 411, and Sri Sathya Sai 467, taking the combined rural electoral landscape to 1,500 panchayats. Police officials in Chittoor and Puttaparthi said that the nomination schedule went off peacefully. The panchayat polling is set for November 26.

Annamayya district has already figured prominently in the police security review, with 31 election-related cases registered between October 15 and October 29 and 51 people arrested during the period. Additional forces have been deployed at Lakkireddipalle, Rayachoti, Tamballapalle, and Pedda Tippa Samudram mandals. In Sri Sathya Sai district, Additional SP Ankita Surana said that the police parties were on alert at all villages which held past faction history.