It is back to the drawing board for political parties with elections to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) officially being announced. GVMC goes to polls on March 23.
Elections to the GVMC are being held after a long gap. Formed in 2005, the GVMC saw elections in 2005 and 2007, when Pulusu Janardhana Rao of the Congress was elected Mayor. Polls were due next in 2012, but could not held.
Though several political parties are in the fray, the election is likely to become a two-way contest between the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The Jana Sena Party (JSP) will fight the elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while other parties like the Left are unlikely to make much of an impact.
The YSRCP, which swept the Assembly elections last year across the State, tasted defeat in four of the eight Assembly seats that come under the GVMC limits. The TDP, which has a strong base in the city, emerged victorious in all four city constituencies while the YSRCP won in Gajuwaka, Pendurthi, Anakapalle and Bheemunipatnam Assembly constituencies.
The YSRCP is confident that the State government’s decision to make Visakhapatnam the ‘Executive capital’ and the introduction of various welfare schemes will ensure the party’s victory in the GVMC limits. Party leaders are also of the opinion that the JSP-BJP combine, which was formed with an aim of defeating the ruling party, will instead eat into the vote bank of the TDP and will end up playing to the ruling party’s advantage.
The morale of the TDP was badly hit after it received a drubbing in the 2019 elections. However, the party is determined to hold on to its base in the city and is also eyeing to regain its lost ground in the remaining four constituencies under the GVMC limits.
TDP’s poll plank
The TDP leaders are keen on raising issues such as the alleged forcible acquisition of assigned lands, appointment of Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju as chairperson of Simhachalam Temple Trust Board by replacing P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, detaining party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu for several hours at the city airport, and alleged deletion of the names of pensioners and ration card holders.
However, the exit of popular leaders and former MLAs such as S.A. Rehaman and Panchakarla Rameshbabu from the party is expected to come as a big jolt to the TDP at this juncture.