Dasari Srinivasa Rao Vijayawada

TheVijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) mayoral election has attracted considerable political attention, with three prominent personalities entering the fray for the prestigious post. The candidates, representing different political and professional backgrounds, are set to make the contest keenly watched in the city.

The NDA has backed Jana Sena Party candidate and former MLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, popularly known as Vangaveeti Radha, for the Vijayawada Mayor’s post. He is the son of former MLA Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao and former legislator Chennupati Ratna Kumari. Radha was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from Vijayawada East as a Congress candidate in 2004.

He later contested from Vijayawada Central on a Praja Rajyam Party ticket in 2009 and from Vijayawada East on a YSRCP ticket in 2014, losing on both occasions. Before the 2019 Assembly elections, he left the YSRCP and joined the TDP. As part of the seat-sharing arrangement within the NDA, the Vijayawada Mayor’s post was allotted to the Jana Sena Party. Although Radha had been aspiring for the Mayor’s post from the beginning, he initially remained with the TDP. He subsequently quit the TDP and joined the Jana Sena Party. Later, Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena chief K Pawan Kalyan announced Radha’s candidature for the Vijayawada Mayor’s post. After a gap of 12 years, Radha has returned to the electoral arena, this time seeking the Mayor’s post. He is campaigning alongside NDA leaders, seeking an opportunity to serve the public and invoking the public service legacy of his parents.

The YSRCP has fielded former Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi, who held the office from 2021 to 2026. Drawing on her experience in municipal administration, she is highlighting the work undertaken during her five-year tenure while criticising what she describes as shortcomings in the NDA government’s two years in power. The third candidate, retired IPS officer and former Intelligence chief AB Venkateswara Rao, is contesting as an independent with the support of the CPI, CPM and Congress. His candidature has added a distinct dimension to the contest, bringing a former senior police officer into the race for the city’s top civic post. The three candidates have distinct political and professional backgrounds, making the mayoral contest a closely watched event. Their respective support bases, public profiles and political networks are expected to shape the campaign as Vijayawada prepares for the municipal polls. With the three prominent candidates in the race, the VMC mayoral election has become a focal point of political discussion, with the outcome drawing keen interest among residents and political observers.