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2 min readHyderabadFeb 12, 2026 10:00 AM IST
The digital system will record MLAs’ attendance only if they are in the House and seated. Legislature Secretariat officials said members who do not attend a minimum of 60 days could face disqualification.
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Complex has gone where no other legislature in India has. On Wednesday, the Assembly debuted its Artificial Intelligence-based attendance system — the first legislature in the country to do so.
On the first day of the state’s Budget Session, the attendance roster was missing. Instead, Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu introduced an AI facial recognition system that would record attendance “only when members are seated in their places”, he said.
This comes as Parliament is considering a similar system, and as the Chandrababu Naidu-led government accuses rival YSR Congress Party — and its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy — of not attending the legislature.
Announcing the initiative, Speaker Patrudu said that in the past some members would “simply sign in the register and leave”.
The digital system will record MLAs’ attendance only if they are in the House and seated. Legislature Secretariat officials said members who do not attend a minimum of 60 days could face disqualification.
The Budget Session began with Governor Abdul Nazeer’s address. While YSRCP’s 11 MLAs — including former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy — attended, officials claimed the AI-based system showed they “spent less than 10 minutes inside the Assembly”.
Ruling coalition partners Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party have been accusing YSRCP — which is demanding recognition as the Opposition — of not attending proceedings. Previous sessions have seen YSRCP protests and walkouts over the demand.
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Meanwhile, Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh Naidu met Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan in the Assembly for the Business Advisory Committee meeting after the Governor’s speech.
The BAC has decided that the Budget discussion will take place on March 14.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council and former YSRCP minister Botsa Satyanarayana said the party would continue to push for recognition as the Opposition. The party has been denied recognition, citing the Constitution and Assembly rules that mandate at least 10 per cent of the state’s 175 Assembly seats.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
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