
VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) made a clean sweep in the Urban Local Body (ULB) elections held on Monday to fill vacant posts. TDP leaders secured key positions, including Deputy Mayors in Eluru and Nellore Municipal Corporations, as well as Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons in several municipalities.
Despite the YSRCP having a stronger presence in ULBs, the TDP emerged victorious as several corporators and councillors switched allegiances or engaged in cross-voting, tipping the balance in their favour. Meanwhile, elections to the Tirupati Municipal Corporation, Nandigama, Tuni, Piduguralla Municipalities, and Palakonda Nagar Panchayat were postponed to 11 am on Tuesday due to a lack of quorum.
Tension gripped Tirupati as the highly-anticipated Deputy Mayor election was postponed for the same reason.
A special meeting held at the SV University Senate Hall required 50% attendance, but only 22 out of 50 members were present. This prompted the Joint Collector and Presiding Officer, Shubham Bansal, to reschedule the election for Tuesday.
YSRCP in-charge Bhumana Abhinay Reddy alleged that coalition leaders had confined corporators in hotels against their will to disrupt the voting process.
Despite police arrangements, YSRCP leaders claimed that their corporators had been kidnapped and demanded their release before participating in the election. Tensions escalated when a bus carrying YSRCP corporators was allegedly intercepted and its members taken away in cars.
TDP wrests Hindupur, bags Eluru Dy Mayor posts
In protest, YSRCP corporators, Mayor R Sireesha, and MP Dr M Gurumoorthy boycotted the election, threatening legal action if their members were not freed. In the results of the completed elections, TDP’s Pappu Umamaheswara Rao and Vandanala Durgabhavani were elected as Deputy Mayors of Eluru Municipal Corporation. DE Ramesh Kumar was elected Chairperson of Hindupur Municipality, while Eratapalli Shivakumar Reddy and Patan Nasreen were chosen as Vice-Chairpersons of Buchireddypalem Municipality. Pagadala Satyanarayana secured the Vice-Chairperson position in Nuzvid Municipality.
An independent corporator, Syed Tahseen, won the Deputy Mayor post in Nellore Municipal Corporation with the support of TDP. In an election conducted under the supervision of Joint Collector and Presiding Officer K Karthik, Tahseen received 41 votes, while YSRCP’s Shaik Kareemulla secured 12 votes. Tahseen’s victory was celebrated by Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy and other coalition leaders.
In Hindupur, TDP took control of the municipality following the resignation of YSRCP Chairperson Indraja. Thirteen YSRCP councillors defected to TDP, boosting its strength to 23, while YSRCP’s numbers dwindled to 17. With three YSRCP councillors absent, TDP’s candidate, DE Ramesh Kumar, was elected Chairperson.
Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna played a key role in consolidating support for the party. The election process was conducted under tight security, with Section 144 imposed in the town to ensure peace.
Eluru Municipal Corporation also saw TDP dominance, with Pappu Umamaheswara Rao and Vandanala Durgabhavani unanimously elected as Deputy Mayors. The election, conducted under the supervision of District Joint Collector and Presiding Officer P Dhatri Reddy, saw no opposition nominations, leading to their unchallenged victory.
In Buchireddypalem, Eratapalli Shivakumar Reddy and Patan Nasreen were elected Vice-Chairpersons with 15 votes each, supported by local MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy. In Nuzvid Municipality, Pagadala Satyanarayana, backed by I&PR Minister Kolusu Pardhasaradhi, was elected Vice-Chairperson.
Postponed polls today
State Election Commissioner Nilam Sawhney confirmed that elections were held to fill the positions of Deputy Mayor in Tirupati and Nellore Municipal Corporations, two Deputy Mayor posts in Eluru Municipal Corporation, and Chairperson posts in Nandigama and Hindupur Municipalities, as well as Palakonda Nagar Panchayat. Elections for Vice-Chairpersons were also scheduled for Buchireddypalem Nagar Panchayat (two posts) and Nuzvid, Tuni, and Piduguralla Municipalities.
She stated that the election process was successfully completed in all Urban Local Bodies, except for Tirupati Municipal Corporation, Nandigama, Tuni, Piduguralla Municipalities, and Palakonda Nagar Panchayat.
An official release confirmed that elections in these areas would be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday.