The campaigning reached a feverish pitch in the city with the candidates trying their best to woo the electorate as only three days are left for the maiden elections after its upgradation into a Municipal Corporation.
Over 222 candidates are in the fray for elections to 50 divisions in the city, represented by Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy in the State Assembly.
Only YSRCP has fielded candidates in all the divisions and one of its nominees, U.Saroja, has won unanimously from the 28th division.
The ruling party is banking heavily on the Navaratnalu schemes of the government and charisma of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to pay dividends.
Trouble for the YSRCP comes more from within than outside the party, as rebels are in the fray in six divisions despite the efforts of Minister and his son B. Praneeth Reddy to persuade them to withdraw from contest.
TDP’s promises
The Telugu Desam Party is contesting in 45 divisions, leaving one division to its poll ally Communist Party of India(CPI). The candidates, led by former TDP MLA D. Janardhana Rao, exposed the “failures” the ruling party and promised to reopen Anna canteens and reduce the hiked property tax.
93 independents
The candidates of the Jana Sena Party are in the fray in 14 divisions. By holding group meetings, they sought one chance to the untested JSP-BJP combine. The nominees of the Congress party are trying their electoral fortunes in five divisions. So is the CPI(M). Ninety three independents have also thrown their hat in the ring.
Leading the CPI(M)’s campaign, party Central Secretariat member V. Srinivasa Rao underscored the need for rejecting both the YSRCP and TDP, which had been backing the Centre on every issue.
The Marxist party activists led by party Prakasam district assistant secretary G.V. Konda Reddy highlighted during their door-to-door campaign the salient features of the city manifesto brought out for making the city better place to live in and ward-level manifesto on civic problems specific to the divisions.