Tirumala: TTD stops darshan recommendation letters during Andhra civic poll code

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the board that runs the Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala, said on 20 October 2026 that it will not accept recommendation letters for Srivari darshan or for accommodation in Tirumala while the Model Code of Conduct for Andhra Pradesh's local body elections is in force. Only protocol dignitaries who come to Tirumala in person will be given darshan and accommodation facilities during this period, the temple body said. The change comes in the same week that TTD is releasing its online darshan, seva and room quotas for January 2027.

Darshan of Lord Venkateswara, known to devotees as Srivari, is among the most sought-after temple visits in India, and Tirumala sees very large crowds through the year. Over many years, a common route to a quicker or more convenient darshan has been a recommendation letter from an elected representative or other public figure. These letters allow the holder to book special darshan slots or rooms through a separate quota.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of rules that applies once elections are announced. It is meant to stop public resources and official positions from being used to win favour with voters. A letter from a politician that gets a family a faster darshan at one of the country's most visited temples could be seen as exactly that kind of favour. By pausing the letters, TTD removes the question altogether for the length of the election period. The temple body has said the same thing in previous polls, so regular pilgrims may already be familiar with the pattern.

For ordinary devotees, the change has two sides. Those who were planning to use a letter will need to switch to the regular routes: the Rs 300 Special Entry Darshan booked online, the SRIVANI Trust donation darshan, or the special quotas for senior citizens and the differently-abled.

The timing also matters because the January 2027 quotas are being released this week, in a fixed order over several days. Devotees who now cannot rely on a letter will need to watch those online release times closely, since popular quotas are booked through the same official portal by pilgrims from across the country. TTD has not said whether it expects any change in demand.

Short-term: Devotees who had planned to visit with a recommendation letter during the election period will have to use online quotas or free darshan instead. Demand for the 24 October release of Rs 300 tickets for January may rise as a result.

Long-term: The repeated use of this rule in election periods reinforces a clear line between temple access and political office. It may also add to the wider debate on whether letter-based VIP access should be reduced at other times of the year.

Who is affected: Pilgrims to Tirumala from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and beyond; elected representatives and others who issue recommendation letters; TTD staff who manage darshan and room allocation; and local body election candidates bound by the code.

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