All the critics and Opposition leaders are now challenging Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy for a free and fair fight in the coming municipal elections. The rival leaders are confident that the ruling YCP excesses and threats would not work in towns and cities where the people would fight back even the police intimidation to a large extent.

Amid this, there is a rising curiosity on the Vizag civic polls. The Opposition leaders are throwing challenges at Jagan Reddy and Vijay Sai Reddy to prove their strength there in a fair fight. The Chief Minister and his party MP should agree for treating the Vizag municipal corporation election as a referendum on the AP Capital shifting. On its part, the YCP is confident of winning more corporators seats there by continuing its iron grip with the help of the police, ward volunteers, money and muscle power.

Now, YCP rebel MP Raghu Rama Raju has come out with a new challenge. He said that Jagan Reddy and Vijay Sai Reddy should withdraw Capital shifting if their party gets less than 100 out of the total 150 corporator seats in the port city. If the YCP wins more than 100 seats, then it should be seen as the approval of the Vizag people for shifting AP Capital to their city.

The Opposition leaders’ demand is that the YCP should consider the Vizag civic poll as a referendum on the 3 Capitals plan of Jaganmohan Reddy. A very smart leader, Raghu Rama Raju has told the CM and the YCP MP not to take U-turns just like on the issue of Special Status, Amaravati, etc. If the YCP fails to win 100 seats in Vizag city, then the CM may say it was a referendum against the steel plant privatisation.