Tirupati: Poll campaign for MCT gathers steam

Tirupati: The campaign for the municipal corporation election is picking up with only a week left for the campaign.

Interestingly, the national and state leaders of the contending political parties are also involved in the campaign adding momentum to the electioneering.

The ruling YSRCP fielded candidates in all the 50 divisions of the municipal corporation of Tirupati (MCT) while the main opposition TDP candidates are in fray in only 30 divisions. The other opposition parties including BJP fighting in 10 divisions, CPM 5, CPI and Congress one each give the telltale picture of the sorry state of the opposition parties in the pilgrim city where election to the civic body is being held after a gap of 19 years.

BJP national secretary and party co-in-charge for AP Sunil Deodhar, who is camping here for the party electioneering, participating in the door-to-door campaign seeking votes for his party candidates.

On Sunday, Deodhar along with party candidate Kondeti Ratna, went on a house-to-house campaign in Nehru Nagar, Venkataramana Layout and Amid Nagar in 29th division in the city seeking votes for Ratna.

Deodhar explained the BJP efforts to develop the pilgrim city through the ambitious Rs 2,000 crore Smart city project for improving infrastructure facilities in a big way, citing the Rs 600 crore Garuda

Varadhi elevated expressway to ease traffic in the city, augmenting drinking water supply, promoting non-conventional energy and also efficient waste management.

State and district leaders including party spokespersons Bhanuprakash Reddy, Samanchi Srinivas, district secretary P Bhaskar, former district president Chandra Reddy and others accompanied Deodahar in the campaign.

Meanwhile the CPM also stepped up its campaign in the divisions it is contesting. Party central committee member V Srinivasa Rao along with district secretary A Pullaiah and leaders took up a door-to-door campaign in support of party candidate M Narendra contesting in 44th division in the city on Sunday.

Srinivasa Rao said supporting CPM candidates is the need of the hour to strengthen the fight against the anti-people policies of YSRCP government and also Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Launching a scathing attack on the Centre for fuel hike, he said the rising prices of essentials coupled with the increase of petrol and diesel making the life of common man miserable.

It may be noted here that the city is having 2,66,762 voters including 1,34,170 men, 1,32,540 women and others 52 while 249 polling booths were set up for the polling which is slated on March 10.