Chittoor municipal corporation set to turn yellow

Chittoor : After Punganur municipality, now it’s the turn of Chittoor Municipal Corporation to give a shocker to the YSRCP. After the change of guard in the state, it was widely expected that several local bodies would go into the hands of the ruling TDP. In a latest such development, Chittoor corporation mayor S Amuda along with about 18 other corporators, including deputy mayor Rajesh Reddy have joined the TDP in the presence of MLA Gurajala Jagan Mohan on Friday.

Now, the TDP will have about 22 corporators as three of them were already elected and its ally Jana Sena Party has another three. This will take the TDP tally to 25 in the corporation which has 50 divisions. Since the mayor herself has switched her allegiance to TDP, it is felt that more corporators will follow suit very soon with which the YSRCP has already fallen into minority in the corporation.

It was learnt that those who joined the TDP on Friday were said to belong to then Chittoor YSRCP MLA and present Tirupati Jana Sena MLA Arani Srinivasulu group. After the change of the government in which JSP is also a part, Arani Srinivasulu was said to have influenced the corporators to bid adieu to YSRCP who in turn are in touch with their other colleagues to walk in their footsteps. With these developments TDP flag will rise on Chittoor municipal corporation where the party candidates could not even file nominations in some wards at the time of corporation elections.

Meanwhile, newly-elected Chittoor and Puthalapattu MLAs G Jagan Mohan and K Murali Mohan have sworn-in as exofficio members of Chittoor municipal corporation on Friday on the occasion of its general Council meeting. Speaking on the occasion, Jagan Mohan said that they will take all those who want to come with them for the development of the city.

A prominent YSRCP leader from Puttur, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the recent developments.

“The political landscape is shifting rapidly, and we cannot ignore the ground realities. Many of our members are considering their options, including the possibility of joining TDP,” he admitted. “We’re at a crucial juncture where we need to reassess our strategies and strengthen our base. The coming weeks will be critical for YSRCP in this region.”

Earlier on June 27, Punganur municipal chairman Aleem Basha along with 11 councillors who belong to former minister Peddireddy group have joined TDP in the presence of its constituency in-charge Challa Babu. It is believed that these kind of defections into TDP are on cards even in other municipalities as well including Kuppam which is being represented by CM N Chandrababu Naidu.

The YSRC leader from Puttur further added, “While we respect individual decisions, we’re also working hard to retain our loyal members. However, the political climate is such that some defections seem inevitable. We’re in talks with our party high command to address these challenges and chart out a clear path forward.”

It is widely speculated that Tirupati municipal corporation may also witness sweeping changes in August. Already a few corporators have joined TDP and JSP while many are on the waiting list.