In a major shock to the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), made a clean sweep in the standing committee elections of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Council with a huge majority, here on Wednesday.
All 10 corporators from the TDP who have contested the ten posts of the standing committee have won with a large majority. However, YSRCP corporators alleged that the NDA leaders, with the support of GVMC officials who have organised the elections, committed irregularities to ensure that the TDP corporators win the elections.
The elections began at 10 a.m. at the Old Council office. Of the 97 eligible corporators, as many as 96 corporators cast their vote, while CPI(M) corporator from Ward 78 abstained from voting. Officials said the TDP corporators received around 54 to 66 votes, while the halfway mark is 49. Among the 10 corporators, seven corporators won more than 60 votes.
Tense situation
Tension prevailed as corporators from the YSRCP including those who had contested in the elections had staged a protest before the GVMC office. The corporators alleged that some of the votes should be been declared invalid.
Police evicting YSRCP corporators who were staging a protest over the results of the elections, at the GVMC office in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak
Floor leader of the YSRCP in the GVMC, Banala Srinivasa Rao, alleged that around 14 votes/voting slips were found to be having ink mark probably marked with a pencil. As per the rules, pens, pencils, smart watches, mobile phones and any electronic gadgets were not allowed. But how come the slips contain marks, he said.
The YSRCP corporators alleged that the NDA leaders have threatened and used various methods to buy votes of the YSRCP corporators. To make sure they voted for the NDA, they might have asked them to mark the votes with some marker.
Ward 51 corporator P. Venkata Ramana of the YSRCP said, “How can the GVMC officials allow such banned material in the voting centre? There should be an enquiry into the incident.”
Some of the YSRCP corporators who contested the elections broke down raising slogans against the GVMC officials and the NDA leaders. Some women corporators alleged that the police forcibly removed them from the protest site. They demanded a recounting of votes and said they would approach the High Court on the issue.
MLAs V. Ramakrishna Babu, Ch. Vamsikrishna Srinivasa Yadav along with TDP floor leader Peela Srinivasa Rao, JSP floor leader B Vasantha Lakshmi and the winning candidates celebrated the victory.
Responding to the allegations levelled by the YSRCP corporators, Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu said that the YSRCP leaders were unable to come to terms with their loss and were trying to spread baseless allegations. “They want to create some drama as a diversionary tactic and create content for media houses belonging to the YSRCP,” he said.
“The standing committee elections results clearly indicate that even the YSRCP corporators want the leadership of the NDA. They are vexed with the corruption over the years. They want their wards to be developed,” he said.
Mr. Ramakrishna Babu said that by taking the standing committee elections results as her responsibility, Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari should immediately resign from her post.
Published - August 07, 2024 09:41 pm IST
