As expected, the ruling YSR Congress party pulled down Sunkara Pavani of Telugu Desam Party from the Kakinada Mayor post by moving a no-confidence motion in the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Tuesday.
Though the TDP had won 33 seats in the 50-member KMC in the 2017 local body elections, the YSRC managed to lure as many as 22 corporators of the TDP, including second deputy mayor C Venkata Satya Prasad recently, thanks to the involvement of Kakinada MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy.
As a result, the strength of the TDP in the KMC came down to just 11. The YSRC also attracted a few BJP corporators into its camp and gained enough strength to grab the Mayor seat.
On Friday, as many as 32 corporators led by defected TDP leader Satya Prasad submitted a memorandum to East Godavari Collector Ch Hari Kiran, asking for a special council meeting to pass “no-confidence” motion against Sunkara Pavani.
Consequently, the Collector convened the KMC council meeting on Tuesday to hold the voting on the no-confidence motion.
As many as 36 corporators supported the no-confidence motion against Pavani, while three BJP corporators abstained from voting.
Though the TDP issued a whip to all its 33 members to vote in favour of Pavani, the rebels openly defied the whip and voted in support of the no-confidence motion. Now, she has no option but to step down from the Mayor post.