Several aspirants filed their papers on the first day of nominations for the elections to 98 corporator posts in Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, here on Wednesday.
While major political parties are yet to announce their final list of contestants, the ruling YSRCP launched an exercise with a screening committee headed by MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, Ministers Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao and Kurasala Kannababu and Lok Sabha in-charges and party observers, respective MPs and MLAs and coordinators.
There are multiple aspirants for the corporator posts with the number going up to 10 in some wards. The list prepared here will have to be finally approved by the party leadership. A final announcement is likely on Thursday, which gives nominees a day’s time to file papers with Friday being the last day for nominations. In wards where there are some strong candidates, only one name is likely to figure.
The Opposition TDP is also carrying out an exercise to select nominees. “We have aspirants for all the wards and the final list will be from among 400-odd aspirants,” MLA and TDP (Urban) president Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar said. The screening by MLAs and local in-charges is expected to be finalised and sent to the party leadership by Thursday morning. The final nominees will be announced after that.
“Since many are unaware of the process, we have provided the format. The all-important ‘B-form’ authorising party nominees will be issued afterwards for inclusion if nominations are already filed,” said former MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao, who is one of the leaders picked up by the party for the Mayor’s post. The others are former MLAs Tippala Gurumurthy Reddy and Gandi Babji, Md. Nazir and Peela Srinivasa Rao.
