VIJAYAWADA: The TDP secured the Tiruvuru Nagar Panchayat Chairman post in NTR district on Monday, marking a major breakthrough in the constituency traditionally dominated by the YSRCP.
TDP’s candidate and 1st ward councillor Kolikapogu Nirmala was elected Chairman with the support of 10 councillors and the ex-officio vote of local MLA Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao, totalling 11 votes. YSRCP candidate Modugu Prasad secured nine votes, while one YSRCP councillor was reportedly abroad and could not vote.
The Tiruvuru Nagar Panchayat was previously under YSRCP control following its landslide win in the 2021 local body elections, where it secured 17 of the 20 wards. An internal agreement among YSRCP councillors had stipulated that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman would each serve a 2.5-year term. Gattam Kasturibai was appointed Chairman under this deal but refused to resign upon completion of her term, leading to internal dissent.
Eventually, Kasturibai tendered her resignation to the Municipal Commissioner on April 3. The situation deteriorated further as internal conflicts intensified, prompting one YSRCP councillor to join the TDP, followed by three others switching loyalties.
The election for the Chairman post was initially scheduled for May 19 and 20, but was postponed twice due to lack of quorum. It was finally conducted on Tuesday under the supervision of RDO Madhuri.
Following the victory, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), speaking alongside MLA Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao and newly elected Chairman Nirmala, stated that the election was conducted peacefully. He dismissed allegations of political camping, asserting that the councillors joined TDP voluntarily in the interest of Tiruvuru’s development.