GVMC Deputy Mayor Election Deferred Due to Lack of Quorum
With political calculations dictating the course of the election, all eyes are now on Tuesday’s meeting. Stakeholders hope to break the deadlock and usher in the next GVMC deputy mayor. Whether compromise or confrontation prevails remains to be seen.
Visakhapatnam: The much-anticipated election to the post of deputy mayor to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) got deferred due to a lack of quorum on Monday. Despite expectations that the process would be a mere formality, only 54 of the required 56 corporators were present, prompting district joint collector election officer K. Mayur Ashok to reschedule the meeting for Tuesday.
The NDA coalition corporators, who came together in a no-confidence motion against YSRC deputy mayor Jiyyani Sridhar, expressed their dissatisfaction with the new deputy mayor election held on May 19. An independent aspirant who aligned with JS and three TD aspirants were disappointed when the deputy mayor's position was awarded to the Jana Sena Party.
The absence of several key contenders from the election, including TD Gandham Srinu (Ward 76), Golagani Mangaveni (Ward 18), Melli Hemalatha (Ward 5), and an independent aspirant aligned with J.S. Kandula Nagaraju (Ward 32), has added to the intrigue surrounding the event.
Meanwhile, tensions within the TD escalated as corporators participated in a boycott due to the unexpected inclusion of JS corporator Dalli Govinda Reddy’s name in a sealed envelope sent from Vijayawada. JS had previously considered Peddisetti Ushasri (Ward 43) for the deputy mayor role, aiming to appoint a woman. However, since she is aligned with YSRC, the TDP corporators, particularly those supporting Gandham Srinu, refused to cooperate.
The internal power struggle within the TD and JS parties further complicated proceedings. State TD president and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao, who had repeatedly asserted the party’s numerical strength, acknowledged the delay in finalising a deputy mayor candidate. He emphasised that while the TD had decided to back JS for the position, internal aspirations within TD had contributed to the impasse.
With political calculations dictating the course of the election, all eyes are now on Tuesday’s meeting. Stakeholders hope to break the deadlock and usher in the next GVMC deputy mayor. Whether compromise or confrontation prevails remains to be seen.
