VIJAYAWADA: The NDA has secured the Vijayawada mayoral seat, with JSP candidate Vangaveeti Radha Krishna winning by a massive majority, marking a significant outcome in the high-profile mayoral contest.
By Wednesday 1.30 am, Radha Krishna had secured 2,48,344 votes against 1,24,344 polled by YSRCP candidate Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi, registering a majority of 1,24,000 votes. Independent candidate and retired IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao received 11,919 votes.
The result highlighted the successful transfer of TDP cadre votes to the JSP’s Glass Tumbler symbol despite differences over political sensitivities.
Vijayawada, a traditional TDP stronghold, was allotted to the JSP under the NDA’s seat-sharing arrangement, raising questions about whether the TDP cadre would wholeheartedly support JSP candidate Radha Krishna in the direct mayoral election. However, the results indicated that alliance partners coordinated their support across the city.
Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, MLAs Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao and Gadde Ramamohan, and other senior NDA leaders campaigned extensively for Radha Krishna, seeking coordination among TDP, JSP and BJP cadres.
The entry of Rao as an independent candidate, backed by the INDIA bloc, added another dimension to the contest. His candidature brought caste equations and community-based calculations into the electoral debate, posing additional challenges for the NDA.
Despite these factors, TDP cadres largely rallied behind Radha Krishna, helping the JSP candidate secure a substantial majority.
Of total 86 divisions in the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, results for 82 divisions had been declared by midnight. The TDP secured 49 divisions, JSP 19 and the BJP four, taking the NDA’s tally to 72. The YSRCP won 8 divisions, while an independent and a CPI candidate got one division each.
Murasu delayed counting by nearly two hours. The counting continued until midnight, with several results awaited.