Botcha Satyanarayana says YSRCP will sweep civic polls

Amaravati: Minister for municipal administration Botcha Satyanarayana on Thursday expressed confidence that the party will sweep the municipal elections. Addressing the media here, he said that so far 578 wards across the state have been declared unanimously and of them, YSRCP candidates won in 571, securing 98.8 per cent.

He said the municipal elections are being held in 75 municipalities and 12 corporations with a total of 2,794 wards. Unlike panchayat polls, as municipal elections are being held on party symbol, the minister said that YSRCP will sweep in a smooth way.

He said that it is natural for YSRCP to win in any of these elections, as people are very much satisfied with the good governance of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and trust the government. While the state government has been providing welfare schemes to all the eligible people irrespective of their caste, religion, or the party they are affiliated with, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu utterly failed to implement even a single promise made during 2014 polls and yet trying to cheat people again with his false promises.

Satyanaranana said that TDP leaders have taken up another false propaganda against the state government alleging a hike in property tax. He said that although the TDP manifesto says it will quash the property tax in the municipalities and municipal corporations, in reality, they won't have authority over that tax even if they win elections. He clarified that there are no such things as hike or burdening people with taxes, as the government primarily focuses on public welfare.

Further, the minister stated that the TDP has no candidates to field, as their own cadres have lost faith in Chandrababu Naidu's leadership. He said that the panchayat elections have proved that YSRCP is the clear winner, with people's blessings and the successes will continue in the coming municipal polls and other elections too.