Visakhapatnam: After a long gap, battleground is set for GVMC polls

Visakhapatnam: After a gap of 14 years, the battleground is set for the local body polls in Visakhapatnam. Followed by the completion of the corporators' tenure, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections could not be held due to a variety of reasons.

Since then, the special officer of the corporation was given the responsibility of taking care of its administration. Even during the TDP regime, the state government refrained from proceeding ahead with the local body elections which eventually blocked the funds arriving from the Union government.

There is an element of fear among the MLAs that their role will subsequently become less potent as people might approach the ward corporators directly to get their issues resolved if they get elected.

Fearing defeat, even former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu did not evince any interest in conducting the local body polls then. With development coming to a grinding halt, a case was filed in the High Court to conduct GVMC polls. Followed by court trials, the orders finally came in favour of commencing the local body elections. Meanwhile, with the proposal of Anakapalle and Bheemunipatnam merging with the GVMC, the delay for the local body polls got further extended due to the delimitation of wards.

After assuming power, the YSRCP government accorded priority to complete the local body polls and fill up the nominated posts. With the State Election Commission giving notification for the municipal polls last year, the exercise gained steam. Nominations from the candidates were received from across the newly carved 98 wards. However, the coronavirus pandemic did apply brake on the mega exercise once again.

As the situation is returning to normalcy and the Covid-19 cases receding in the state, the SEC decided to resume the polling process from the stage it had been stopped.

As the date for the municipal polls was fixed on March 10, enthusiastic aspirants could hardly wait to contest in the elections. Given the favourable results in panchayat polls, the YSRCP candidates are hopeful to emerge victorious in the municipal polls as well. "Apart from winning a majority of seats in the elections, we are sure to bag the Mayor's post too," says J Sridhar, YSRCP candidate contesting from the 52nd ward.

Meanwhile, TDP aspirant K Madhavi, who is contesting from the 92nd ward, exudes confidence that the party will emerge stronger in the municipal polls. "In the past two years, there is hardly any development in the state. People are aware of the realty and will not get carried away by false promises any longer," asserts Madhavi.