Special officers ruled Visakhapatnam Corporation for a long time!

Visakhapatnam: The history of elections for the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (VMC), now known as the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), reflects a recurring pattern of delayed polls, prolonged special officer administration and changes in how the Mayor is elected. Since the corporation was established in 1979, civic elections have not always been conducted at regular five-year intervals, leaving the administration under government-appointed officials for years.

The first elections to the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation were held in 1981, when the corporation had 50 wards. NSN Reddy became the city's first Mayor and continued in office until 1986. Following his tenure, the corporation came under special officer administration for approximately a year before elections were held again in 1987. D.V. Subba Rao of the Telugu Desam Party became Mayor and served until 1992. The next election was delayed until 1995, resulting in another three years of special officer administration. In 1995, Sabbam Hari of the Congress became Mayor, followed by Rajana Ramani in 2000, who became the city's first woman Mayor. Elections were subsequently held in 2007, when Pulusu Janardhana Rao became Mayor after the civic body was expanded into the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation in 2005.

The most prolonged period without an elected civic council continued after the tenure of the 2007–2012 council ended on February 25, 2012. The corporation remained under special officer administration for approximately nine years, as successive election plans were delayed by administrative and legal issues. Although the State Election Commission initiated the election process in March 2020, the polls were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elections were finally conducted on March 10, 2021, after a gap of nearly 14 years. The YSR Congress Party won a majority, and Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari became the city's second woman Mayor.

In the history of Visakhapatnam's mayoral elections, 1987 was the only previous occasion on which the Mayor was directly elected by voters, with D.V. Subba Rao winning the post. In the other election cycles, the Mayor was nominated by the elected corporators.

The Andhra Pradesh government brought back direct elections for Mayors and municipal chairpersons, under which voters will elect the Mayor rather than leaving the decision to corporators. The forthcoming GVMC election is therefore expected to mark the second direct mayoral election in the city's history.

Across the periods following the expiry of elected councils, Visakhapatnam experienced special officer administration from 1986 to 1987, 1992 to 1995, 2005 to 2007 and, most significantly, from 2012 to 2021. The corporation again moved towards special officer administration in March 2026, after the elected council's term ended on March 17, with the District collector scheduled to assume charge from March 18. This marks another phase in the city's long history of interruptions to elected civic governance.

From the first municipal corporation election in 1981 to the 2021 GVMC polls, the city witnessed six major election cycles: 1981, 1987, 1995, 2000, 2007 and 2021. The next election is expected to add another chapter to this history, with the expansion to 120 wards and the proposed direct election of the Mayor making it a significant development in Visakhapatnam's civic administration.

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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