Former MLA vs former Mayor in Vijayawada mayoral battle

Vijayawada: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) elections scheduled for October 28 have drawn wide attention with former MLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, popularly known as Vangaveeti Radha, and former Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi entering the race for the mayoral post. While Radha is the Jana Sena Party (JSP) candidate, Bhagya Lakshmi is contesting on behalf of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

The contest marks the first time since its formation that the JSP is entering the race for the Vijayawada Mayor’s post. Radha, son of former MLA Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao and Ratna Kumari, is seeking the prestigious position after joining the JSP from the TDP.

His father began his political career as an independent corporator from Krishna Lanka in 1981 and later won the Vijayawada East Assembly seat on a Congress ticket in 1985. Bhagya Lakshmi, who earlier became Mayor through the indirect election system, is seeking a second term through direct elections.

After former Mayor T Venkateswara Rao, she is among the few candidates to contest the post again. Both Radha and Bhagya Lakshmi are scheduled to file their nominations on Sunday, October 18, the last day for filing papers. The mayoral contest has also highlighted differences and negotiations within the ruling NDA alliance.

The TDP initially sought the mayoral post, reserved for the unreserved category, with more than a dozen party leaders expressing interest in contesting. However, the JSP also staked its claim, prompting discussions among alliance partners. TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, JSP chief and Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan, and BJP state president PVN Madhav held talks on seat-sharing before deciding to allot the mayoral post to the JSP.

The decision reportedly disappointed several TDP aspirants. Radha subsequently left the TDP and joined the JSP, which announced his candidature on Saturday. Differences have also reportedly surfaced over the allocation of corporator seats, with the two parties seeking a larger share of the divisions.

Meanwhile, candidates of the TDP, JSP, BJP, YSRCP, CPI and CPM are preparing to file nominations for the corporation’s 86 divisions. The CPI and CPM have decided to contest jointly for the mayoral post and all divisions.

Vijayawada’s civic politics has witnessed changes in control over the years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dasari Srinivasa Rao

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Dasari Srinivasa Rao is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering NTR and Krishna districts, with a primary focus on Vijayawada. He has 32 years of experience in journalism. His reporting spans a wide range of beats, including city and rural development, politics, irrigation, education, crime, and human-interest stories.

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