Visakhapatnam – Tensions are running high in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) as preparations intensify for the no-confidence motion against Mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari, who was elected on a YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) ticket. The crucial council session is scheduled for Saturday.
In a dramatic turn of events, several corporators affiliated with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) returned from Malaysia late Friday night, where they were reportedly sent to avoid political poaching. In a similar counter-move, the YSRCP had sent its own corporators to Sri Lanka in what is widely seen as a strategy to prevent defections ahead of the key vote.
The YSRCP, led by district president Gudivada Amarnath, has announced a boycott of the council session. The party has issued a whip instructing its members not to attend the meeting, warning of disciplinary action against those who defy the order.
For the no-confidence motion to pass, the NDA alliance—comprising the TDP, Jana Sena Party (JSP), and BJP—must secure a minimum of 74 votes out of the total 98. The GVMC currently has 97 elected corporators representing 98 wards, along with 14 ex-officio members.
According to current figures, the TDP holds 48 corporators, the JSP has 11, and the BJP has 2. The alliance also claims the support of 11 ex officio members. The YSRCP, on the other hand, has 34 corporators and three ex-officio members in its corner. Two corporators from the CPI and CPI(M) have announced they will abstain from the session.
Adding further momentum to the NDA, three corporators from YSRCP recently switched allegiance to the JSP, and ex-officio member Behara Bhaskar Rao has declared support for the NDA, taking the alliance’s strength to an estimated 76.
In another twist, YSRCP corporator Muttamsetti Priyanka, representing Ward 6, has tendered her resignation to party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. However, it remains uncertain whether she will attend the no-confidence vote.
With political manoeuvring intensifying and both camps on edge, all eyes are now on Saturday’s session, which could alter the leadership dynamics in the GVMC.
