More GVMC corporators of ruling TD fly to Malaysia

VISAKHAPATNAM: Corporators of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) belonging to both the ruling and opposition parties are continuing to fly to Malaysia and Sri Lanka respectively ahead of the no-confidence motion against Vizag mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari slated on April 19.

The corporators are being moved out in batches, so that they are not poached by the opposite parties.

Last week, 26 TD corporators flew to Malaysia after spending 20 days at a beach resort near Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district. TD leaders felt the camp is too close and within the reach of YSRC, which is ruling the GVMC. Further, rumours spread that four of the YSRC corporators, who had crossed over to TD, will be returning back to their parent party.

This prompted the TD leadership to shift the corporators, including those of the YSRC, to Malaysia. On Friday, 12 more corporators flew out to join the TD colleagues in Malaysia.

"We are not taking any chances. We want to move them en block to Vizag only when the motion is moved in the general council on April 19,” said TD state president Palla Srinivasa Rao.

Talking to this correspondent in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, Srinivas Rao maintained that all the corporators have flown to Malaysia. They all feel that development of Visakhapatnam will be possible only when a NDA coalition candidate is installed as the mayor.

“All the corporators are there with their families. Let them enjoy a holiday which they seldom get,” the TD state president said in a lighter vein.

On the other hand, the YSRC leadership has sent the party corporators to Sri Lanka from Coorg in Karnataka.

“TD leaders are panicking, because four of our corporators who joined them are willing to come back,” said a senior YSRC leader.

Apart from Vizag mayor Venkata Hari Kumari, city’s deputy mayors J. Sridhar and K. Satish also belong to the YSRCP. The party has been on the back foot since losing power in AP last year, with leaders big and small jumping ship to the TD. No-confidence motion against deputy mayor Sridhar is scheduled on May 5.

The YSRCP has 59 of the 98 seats in the GVMC. The TDP has 29 corporators on its side, with three from ally JSP. The BJP, CPI, and CPI(M) have one each. Eight of the YSRC corporators joined Jana Sena and 18 joined TD. One seat is vacant after the present Visakhapatnam South MLA Vamsi Krishna Yadav resigned before last year's general elections.

Gaining control of the municipal corporation in Visakhapatnam will be an important step for the TD-led NDA alliance. In the 2024 elections, NDA had swept all the seven assembly seats in Visakhapatnam and one MP seat.