PNS|VISAKHAPATNAM
With the mayoral baton set to pass to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and 96th ward Corporator Peela Srinivasa Rao, the political spotlight has swiftly shifted to the contest for the deputy mayor’s seat in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). What once seemed like a routine transition has now triggered an intense race among coalition partners and aspirants, marked by undercurrents of caste equations and alliance bargaining.
The current Deputy Mayor, Jiyyani Sridhar of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), is likely to face a no-confidence motion at a specially convened GVMC council meeting on April 26. However, sources suggest that Sridhar may resign in the days leading up to the vote, potentially sidestepping the formal procedure and accelerating the selection of a successor.
With the post expected to fall vacant, the battle lines are being drawn among corporators from the TDP, Jana Sena Party (JSP), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—all staking their claims to the second-highest civic post. In the TDP camp, the list of hopefuls includes Gandham Srinivasa Rao (76th ward), Bommidi Ramana (90th ward), Molli Hemalatha (fifth ward), and Golagani Mangaveni (18th ward). From the JSP, contenders such as Bhisetti Vasanthalakshmi (33rd ward), Peddisetti Ushasri (43rd ward), and Dalli Govinda Reddy (64th ward) are in the fray. BJP’s Gangala Kavitha (48th ward) has also emerged as an aspirant.
The intra-alliance dynamics have added a complex layer to the decision-making. With the TDP set to take over the mayor’s office, JSP leaders are pressing for the deputy mayor’s post, arguing it should go to one of their corporators as a mark of alliance balance. However, TDP leaders point to social representation, arguing that since the outgoing mayor was a woman from the Yadava community, the deputy mayor should also be chosen from the same background for continuity.
JSP leaders, on the other hand, maintain that caste parity can still be upheld by appointing a candidate from the Kapu community, noting that outgoing Deputy Mayor Sridhar is himself a Kapu. This has brought leaders like Gandham Srinivasa Rao into focus as a potential compromise candidate.
