A large number of supporters of YSRCP leader Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas staged a protest after the party leadership decided not to name him for the post of Mayor of Visakhapatnam, near the GVMC office here on Thursday.
Speculation was rife that Mr. Yadav, who was elected as corporator from Ward 21, would be named the next Mayor after the ruling party won the municipal elections in the city with a comfortable majority. However, his hopes crumbled after the party declared G. Hari Venkata Kumari as Mayor on Thursday.
Mr. Vamsi Krishna Yadav was visibly upset during the election process for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor at the council meeting in the GVMC office. Immediately after, he spoke to reporters and announced that he would be resigning from the post of YSRCP city president shortly.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Yadav said that he had agreed to contest in the municipal elections only after he was given an assurance by the party that he would be given the post of Mayor. He also alleged that some people in his party stopped him from becoming Mayor.
“Earlier, some people within the party did the same thing and stopped the high command from giving me a ticket from Visakhapatnam East constituency in the Assembly elections, and the party suffered the consequences of that decision. Now, the same people have prevented me from becoming Mayor,” he alleged.
‘Will meet CM’
Mr. Yadav also said that he would meet Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy next week over the issue.
He thanked people from his region and his followers for their support and apologised for not living up to their expectations. “Earlier, people expected that I would be given the MLA ticket in the Assembly elections, but were disappointed. They have been disappointed again after I was not given the post of Mayor,” he said.
Mr. Yadav said that he has been involved in social service for the last 12 years, and claimed to have never been involved in ‘dirty politics’. I work under the instructions of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who aims to develop Vizag into a top-class city, he said.
Reacting over the development, Rajya Sabha MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy said that Mr. Yadav is close to everyone in the party and called him a hard worker. “He has been with the party for many years and the party will give him a good post following instructions from the Chief Minister,” he said.
