
GUNTUR: In a stunning political development, the NDA has claimed a decisive victory in theGuntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) Standing Committee elections held on Monday.
The contesting candidates from the NDA secured a significant number of votes, leading to their success in the elections, marking a major shift in local political dynamics.
A total of 56 corporators exercised their voting right. The winning corporators are Eranti Varaprasad (Division 35) received 33 votes, Dasari Lakshmi Durga (16) and Sheikh Meeravali (10), who received 32 votes each. Nookavarapu Balaji (46), and Kommineni Koteswara Rao (43) received 31 votes each, and Muppavarapu Bharati (51) received 30 votes. These winners have been elected as members of the GMC Standing Committee.
Historically, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) had maintained dominance in the GMC, having won the local body elections in 2021 and subsequently formed the council. The YSRCP had previously won all the standing committee elections unanimous.
However, the political landscape has undergone a dramatic change in recent times. After the TDP’s strategic efforts and the shifting of allegiances, the NDA’s victory in these elections did not come as a surprise for many.
In the 2021 GMC elections, YSRCP secured a commanding 46 out of 57 corporator seats, while the TDP won nine divisions and Jana Sena captured two. Following this, however, a key incident occurred when YSRCP corporator Krishna Reddy passed away, and elections were delayed until now. A crucial shift happened before the 2024 general elections when 12 YSRCP corporators defected to the NDA, reducing YSRCP’s strength in the council to just 34 members.
Further changes in party allegiances came after the notification for the Standing Committee elections was issued. Seven more YSRCP corporators switched over to the TDP, altering the balance of power. To maintain control over their corporators, both YSRCP and the NDA took drastic measures by ensuring that their members were kept isolated from other political influence. In a well-planned move, all corporators were shifted to the GMC office just before voting began to prevent any further defections.
Stating that the YSRC corporators who are genuinely devoted for the development of the city, voted in favour of TDP’s vision for development in Standing Committee elections, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Dr Pemmasani Chandra Shekhar expressed that while it was not the party’s initial preference to bring YSRCP corporators into the TDP fold, the decision was made due to their integrity and commitment to the development of the city.
Dr Pemmasani further added that TDP has no space for corrupt individuals, and only those with genuine aspirations for progress are welcomed into the party. “We are committed to ensuring that only individuals with a passion for development and integrity join our party,” he concluded.
Following the elections, the newly elected candidates were presented with election certificates. Guntur Municipal Commissioner Puli Srinivasulu commended Election Officer and Additional Commissioner Challa Obulesu, along with other staff members, for ensuring the smooth conduct of the election process