573 candidates in fray for 120 GVMC wards, 15 contesting for Mayor

Visakhapatnam: A total of 573 candidates are contesting for ward member positions across the 120 wards of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) in the Second General Elections–2026.

Following the completion of the nomination withdrawal process, 15 candidates remain in the fray for the mayoral election, according to the Returning Officers.

The zone-wise distribution of ward member candidates shows that Gajuwaka zone has the highest number, with 139 candidates, followed by north zone with 86, south zone with 77, west zone with 72 and east zone with 70, Pendurthi zone has 35 candidates, Aganampudi zone 28, Madhurawada zone 27, Anakapalli zone 20 and Bheemunipatnam 19.

The civic polls have attracted candidates across all 10 zones, setting the stage for a contest across the city’s 120 wards. Polling is scheduled for November 1, 2026, while the counting of votes will take place on November 3.

Meanwhile, the mayoral election has drawn 15 candidates and the final list includes nominees of major political parties and independent contestants. According to Mayor Election Returning Officer B Dayanidhi, a total of 29 nominations were received for the Mayor’s post.

Of them, eight were rejected, leaving 21 valid nominations. Also, six candidates withdrew their nominations on October 21, reducing the final number of contestants to 15. The main contest will be between Mukka Sravani of the Telugu Desam Party, contesting on the bicycle symbol, and Varudhu Kalyani of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, contesting on the fan symbol. Karanam Keerthana Grace is representing the Bahujan Samaj Party on the elephant symbol, while Devara Naga Sunanda Devi is contesting for the Indian National Congress on the hand symbol.

Nammi Bhavani is representing the Bharata Chaitanya Yuvajana Party on the battery torch symbol.

The remaining 10 candidates are contesting as independents. They are Francinamma Attili (bottle), Gompa Venkata Padmavathi (cup and saucer), Shailaja Talupula (school bag), Priyanka Dandi (air conditioner), Pakruthi Devika (ring), Bora Santoshi (cauliflower), Likhitha Landa (candles), Vandrasi Shanti Kumari (palanquin), Viyyapu Uma (flute) and Shaik Daulatunnisa (cupboard).

Six candidates -- Venkatalakshmi Jarripothula and Usnara Parveen of the Congress, Senapathi Vasantha of the Telugu Desam Party, Pedada Ramani Kumari and T Venkata Vijaya Kumari Tippala of the YSR Congress Party, and independent candidate Pulicherla Rajeshwari -- withdrew their nominations for the mayoral post.

With 573 candidates contesting ward member positions and 15 candidates in the mayoral race, the GVMC Second General Elections–2026 are set to be a closely watched civic electoral contest. Polling is scheduled for November 1, with the counting of votes slated for November 3.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasu Potnuru

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Potnuru Srinivasa Rao (Vasu Potnuru) is an experienced journalist specialised in politics, sports, crime, general topics and tribal stories. With 18 years of writing and reporting expertise, he contributes to The Hans India's editorial department as Principal Correspondent based in Visakhapatnam. Vasu Potnuru completed his Bachelor of Business Management. Earlier, he worked as a staff reporter in a leading Telugu vernacular. During free time, the journalist spends time listening to music, playing cricket and shuttle badminton. Vasu Potnuru, an accomplished writer, honed his expertise in various genres such as politics, crime, sports and general topics. He received an award from the HYBIZ Media Awards for the Best Rural Story in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Also, he bagged the Best Crime Reporter Award in Visakhapatnam. He serves in different unions of working journalists and contributes to service activities.

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