Vijayawada, November 3: Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu continued to disrupt normal life in coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, with heavy rainfall delaying urban local body election vote counting in Vijayawada and slowing the process in Guntur. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the state.

In Vijayawada, vote counting began nearly two-and-a-half hours behind schedule due to heavy rain. Officials initially counted postal ballots, while votes were being counted ward-wise in separate halls for the East, West and Central constituencies.

The cyclone has also caused significant damage to agricultural fields and salt pans in and around Ongole. Heavy rainfall and strong winds have disrupted salt production and damaged standing crops, causing substantial losses to farmers and salt pan workers.

Railway services have also been affected. The South Coast Railway's Vijayawada Division temporarily suspended train movement on the Vijayawada-Ongole-Gudur section after gale-force winds were recorded at Karavadi Station. A total of 29 trains were regulated, while several others were cancelled, diverted or rescheduled due to adverse weather conditions. Railway authorities have advised passengers to cooperate, reiterating that safety remains their top priority.

Meanwhile, vote counting in NTR district began at 8 am despite heavy rainfall. District Collector Dr G Lakshmisha said counting was progressing peacefully across all five local bodies, with adequate police security arrangements in place.

He said officials, election agents and other staff were cooperating to ensure a free and fair counting process.

Counting of votes for 92 urban local bodies across Andhra Pradesh also began on Tuesday. The exercise covers 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats. Polling for these elections was held on November 1, from 7 am to 5 pm.