The indirect elections to the posts of Mayors and Municipal Chairpersons in seven corporations and 90 municipalities passed off peacefully barring a couple of stray incidents of violence. Amid complaints of ‘kidnap’ of their councillors by the ruling Telugu Desam and YSR Congress, the election gave some tense movements to the police in Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district and a couple of other municipalities.
Police fired two rounds in the air at Jammalamadugu to disperse agitated leaders and supporters of the ruling and opposition parties. The activists indulged in stone-throwing following reports that ‘a TDP councillor Mulla Jani was kidnapped by the rival YSRCP’.
Elections in the other civic bodies were by and large peaceful with the ruling party exhibiting its domination. Of the 90 municipalities where elections were held, TDP secured the top post of chairperson in 74 municipalities.
The ‘cycle’ continued its sway in corporations as well by winning five of the six corporations for which results had been declared. The YSRCP remained a distant second bagging Kadapa Municipal Corporation.
In the municipalities, elections in Markapuram and Jammalamadugu were deferred to Friday. While clashes between the TDP and YSRCP activists led to the postponement of Jammalamadugu elections, lack of quorum was said to be the reason behind deferring the Markapur elections.
In the remaining municipalities, TDP showed its resurgence by sweeping elections in several districts including West Godavari.
YSRCP proved its hold over Kadapa yet again while the party put up an impressive performance in Chittoor where it stood evenly with TDP by bagging three municipalities. The party however could not meet the expectations in the remaining districts.
Supporters of Chirala MLA Amanchi Krishnamohan and TDP candidate Pothula Sunitha clashed in-front of the municipal office at Chirala causing injuries to five persons in the stone-pelting. The police resorted to lathicharge to quell the mob.
