Tirupati mayor’s fate hangs in balance

Tirupati: Buoyed with the success in capturing the Deputy Mayor post, the NDA is now eyeing corporation Mayor post. The NDA is preparing the ground to move a no-confidence motion against YSRCP Mayor Dr R Sirisha to remove her from the post.

Though the NDA partners have not having enough strength they are trying their best to poach some more YSRCP corporators to achieve majority in the municipal council.

Interestingly, the NDA has only one member i.e. the corporators while the YSRCP had 50 before the election results came, toppling the YSRCP chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

After the rout of YSRCP in the Assembly elections, the YSRCP corporators one by one deserted the party to join TDP. In the meantime, the election for deputy mayor came, due to the resignation of Bhumana Abhinay Reddy who quit the post and contested for the Assembly and faced defeat.

The NDA took the deputy mayor post as prestigious and went all out much to the criticism from YSRCP alleging foul means, and saw its candidate RC Munikrishna got elected with the support of 26 members in the council. The YSRCP got only 21 in the special meeting held for deputy mayor election.

A TDP leader on condition of anonymity said they would move a no-confidence motion against YSRCP Mayor Dr R Sirisha by March-end and surely muster enough strength to remove her.

However, YSRCP youth leader and party Tirupati Assembly constituency in-charge Bhumana Abhinay Reddy said that the NDA may not dare to dislodge Mayor Sirisha as it will face backlash. NDA already faced much criticism and resentment from the people for its strong arm tactics like demolition of the properties owned by YSRCP corporator forcibly taking away some corporators, threatening their family members and also luring with many offerings to capture the deputy mayor post.

“If they continue the same tactics and undemocratic means to remove Sirisha they (NDA) are bound to face public wrath for removing Sirisha an educated and noncontroversial leader who did a lot for Tirupati development,” said Abhinay Reddy.

But senior a NDA leaders disclosed that they are going ahead with the move to remove Sirisha after a meeting of local leaders with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is arriving at Tirupati to attend the TDP senior leader Narasimha Yadav son’s marriage on Sunday.

They also reveal that revenue minister and also district incharge minister is expected to arrive next week to make renewed efforts to move more YSRCP corporators to see that the no-confidence carried out without any hitch to get the prestigious mayor post also.