GVMC Polls: Aspirants cry foul over ticket allotment in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: Several ticket aspirants in the ruling YSRCP cry foul over the allotment of tickets to the kith and kin of Ministers, MLAs and key leaders from party despite lobbying hard.

With Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is all set to go to polls after a long break, many aspirants eager to compete in the much-awaited elections and the lobbying exercise of a few did come as a jolt to them.

The ruling party had earlier announced that it would not entertain the relatives of those serving as public representatives while allotting tickets for local body elections. But the scenario appears to be different now.

Recently, Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao's daughter M Priyanka's name surfaced in the list. Similarly, Gajuwaka MLA Tippala Nagireddy's son Tippala Vamsi got ticket as corporator in the local body elections.

This apart, YSRCP leader Behara Bhaskara Rao fielded his wife P V S S Devi from West constituency in Visakhapatnam. Bhaskara Rao, who aspired to compete as a corporator, had to withdraw from competition in the last minute when he came to know that the ward was reserved for women candidate.

Sources said the decision of Srinivasa Rao and Tippala Nagireddy fielding their wards from Bheemunipatnam and Gajuwaka constituencies respectively did not go down well among the partymen.

A senior YSRCP activist, who aspired for a corporator ticket and doesn't want to be named, told The Hans India that if family members of the Ministers and MLAs were accorded priority in the municipal polls, there is no point in serving the party for such a long period.

Party leaders have given assurance to the aspirants not to get disappointed if they did not get the tickets in the first list.

Generally, a greater number of leaders from the ruling party would contest, representing each ward. In some cases, there will be more than two contestants in each ward.

It is a herculean task for the party to calm the other aspirants who did not get the ticket. Those who could not get the tickets become party rebels and contest as independent candidates. Sources said that such candidates will do more harm to the party.