Tirupati: Political dynamics in Tirupati have taken unexpected turns ahead of the crucial deputy mayor election scheduled for Monday. YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has been making strenuous efforts to secure the position, but the intervention of Minister for Revenue Anagani

Satya Prasad has seemingly tilted the scales in favour of National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Initially, YSRCP nominated Sekhar Reddy, the corporator from 42nd division, for the post left vacant following the resignation of Bhumana Abhinay Reddy before the general elections in

April 2024. The party attempted to safeguard its support base by sending around 20 corporators to a camp in Tamil Nadu, planning to bring them back just before the election.

However, in a dramatic turn, Sekhar Reddy reportedly succumbed to NDA pressure and concerns over municipal authorities’ action against his properties. He exited the camp and returned to Tirupati, with speculations that he may soon join Telugu Desam Party (TDP), dealing a significant blow to YSRCP.

In response to these developments, former MLA and YSRCP president of the erstwhile Chittoor district Bhumana Karunakar Reddy announced that Laddu Bhaskar Reddy would now be the party’s nominee for deputy mayor position. Despite these efforts, NDA appears to hold a numerical advantage in municipal corporation. The alliance currently controls 23 corporators after the defection of several YSRCP corporators after NDA government came to power in the State, with an additional three to four reportedly in touch with its leaders.

NDA leaders are said to be persuading YSRCP corporators to either vote for their candidate or abstain from the election.

While YSRCP still has the advantage of two ex-officio votes from Tirupati MP Dr M Gurumoorthy and MLC Dr Cipai Subramanyam, the party may still fall short of the required majority.

Minister Satya Prasad has been actively strategising with NDA leaders to ensure their victory. The NDA is reportedly considering the names of TDP corporator RC Munikrishna and defected YSRCP corporator Narasimhachary for deputy mayor post.

Meanwhile, election authorities have finalised preparations for the smooth conduct of the election at SV University Senate Hall. Presiding officer and Joint Collector Shubham Bansal confirmed that all arrangements for the special election meeting have been completed. Officials have instructed participating corporators and ex-officio members to arrive before 11 am and have mandated ID verification while restricting mobile phones and relatives from the venue.

Additional Commissioner Charan Tej Reddy, Deputy Commissioner Amarayya, Smart City GM Chandramouli, SE Surendra, District Information and Public Relations Officer Bala Kondayya, Secretary Radhika, Tahsildar Bhagyalakshmi, and various engineering and town planning officials were present during the visit of the presiding officer.