Telugu Desam Party, which faced a humiliating defeat in the just-concluded elections to various municipalities and municipal corporations across Andhra Pradesh, has put up some impressive show only in Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation.
Out of 98 divisions in GVMC, the TDP won 30 divisions, whereas the YSR Congress party won 56 divisions and captured power.
No doubt, it is a good show by the TDP but it is hardly sufficient to capture the Mayor or deputy mayor seat, because the YSRC has already crossed the absolute majority mark.
Moreover, the YSRC also has good number of ex-officio votes in the form of MLAs, MPs and MLCs.
Yet, the TDP is learnt to have decided to field its candidates for the election of mayor and deputy mayor in GVMC to be held on Thursday.
According to TDP president for Visakhapatnam parliamentary constituency Palla Srinivas Rao, a decision to contest for the mayor and deputy mayor seats was taken by the high command to put up the fight, instead of giving up.
The TDP has six ex-officio votes, apart from 30 seats, but one of them Vasupalli Ganesh has joined the YSRC unofficially.
“We shall have a meeting with all the corporators in the morning to finalise the candidates for the two posts. Though we don’t have enough strength, we have to put up a fight,” he said.
The meeting will also decide the floor leader of the TDP in the GVMC. The power to hold the meeting with the corporators has been given to Palla Srinivasa Rao, who in turn will delegate powers to a senior member to issue whip to the others.
Though it is a matter of token fight, the TDP’s strategy to field the candidates will make the Thurday’s GVMC meeting a little interesting.