With many aspirants for corporator posts intensifying lobbying, the YSRCP leadership has made it clear that loyalty to the party and winnability will be the criteria for selection of candidates for the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections.
Even as the elections for the posts in 98 wards of the civic body are scheduled to be held on March 23, the YSRCP has launched an exercise for selection of candidates. The ruling party will constitute screening committees comprising MLAs, Assembly constituency coordinators and in-charge persons and one such panel is being appointed for every five wards.
District in-charge Minister Kurasala Kannababu, Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, party observer for local body polls Dadi Virabhadra Rao and party national general secretary and North Andhra zone in-charge V. Vijaya Sai Reddy will have the final say in the selections.
Flash survey
During an interaction with the party cadres, Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy on Sunday said that the party high command had decided to conduct a flash survey to find out the candidates with bright chances of winning. Those people will be fielded as party nominee even if they are not among those who will be submitting formal applications.
“We cannot accommodate all aspirants as we have only 98 wards. We have to give more seats to BCs. The election is very significant because the government has proposed to set up the Executive capital in Visakhapatnam. Those not getting seats will be accommodated in the nominated posts after the elections,” said Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy.
Anakapalle MLA Gudivada Amarnath said the party leadership would not entertain any recommendation for corporate tickets.
‘Time for drub TDP’
Several party leaders said at the review meeting that it was time the YSRCP drubbed the TDP which won all four Assembly seats in the general elections held last year.
Party Assembly constituency coordinators from the city K.K. Raju (North), A. Vijaya Nirmala (East) and Malla Vijaya Prasad (West) said the party cadre should ensure winning all 98 wards.
Justifying protests at Visakhapatnam airport during the recent visit of TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Virabhadra Rao said people had taught him a lesson after a quarter century of his role in hurling footwear and liquor bottles at his father-in-law and then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao at Hotel Viceroy in Hyderabad after a ‘midnight coup.’