The total rout of opposition parties in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has not enthused Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh to replicate the same in Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), which is being projected as financial capital of Andhra Pradesh.
In GHMC elections, held last month, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti, won the election with huge margin reducing all opposition parties to nominal presence.
GVMC presents the TDP with a rare opportunity to replicate the GHMC model. Judging by the spectacular programs organized in the port city in the past 21 months, one would be forced to believe that GVMC should be TDPs GHMC. But, in practice, Telugu Desam doesn’t appear to be confident of winning election to Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), despite so much prating about making the Vizag as the Andhra Pradesh’s financial capital. It looks quite unnatural, a government which is democratically elected is allowing the GVMC run without an elected body?
For four years, after expiry of the tenure of the elected body, the GVMC is being administered by a special officer. Opposition YSRC says the TDP is not confident of winning and deliberately allowing the case drag for some more time and post pone the election. The people of Vizag are ready to teach the TDP a lesson, the the opposition party claims. The election has been put hold because of some court cases by villages, which opposed their merger with Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation to make it Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation. According to YSRC, the reason for delaying the elections is that given the grand designs the CM has for Vizag, a special officer administration is ideal. ” The GVM C plays a key role in the development of Vizag as financial capital. If by any mishap, the opposition party wins in the election that would put paid to the plans of CM Naidu,” said a YSRCP leader.
The TDP leaders have been claiming ever since they assumed office in 2014 that elections would be held in a month or two. As recently as in February, state HRD minister Ganta Srinivas Rao asserted that government would ensure that elections are held in a couple of months. Now, as the election commission has instructed the official to stop the ongoing enrollment , doubts are again raised in the minds of the people that the government has no intention to hold the elections to GVMC. Following the creation of GVMC, Gajuwaka, Bheemili, Anakapalle and Pendurthi have become part of the GVMC. So, officials have asked the people to update their details in the GVMC voter list in view of the elections. Suddenly, the process has been put on hold. As per the scheduled the enrollment has to be completed by March 31.
YSRCP alleges, in the past 21 months, except hype with conferences, summits and foundations laying ceremonies, nothing concrete had happened in Vizag and Naidu was no sure of winning the election.
Why is a chief minister, who claims he is influencing world’s top corporate companies to invest in Andhra Pradesh, not able to convince the villagers to withdraw the cases filed against the creation of GVMC and pave the way for the elections, the party has asked. According to YSRCP leaders, the villages, which filed the cases against their merger in the GVMC are strongholds of TDP and if chief minister Naidu instructs them in no time they would withdraw the cases. Whatever may be the reason, this is not happening and GVMC, which occupies a strategic position in the state affairs has no elected body. In fact, if the government wants, election could be held by excluding these five villages namely Kapuluppada, K Nagarampalem, Nidigattu, JV Agraharam and Chepualuppada.
