Rani Devalla Visakhapatnam

Inwhat seems to be an unexpected twist in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) falls short of one count as the party is left to contest in only 119 wards instead of 120.

This development follows the last-minute withdrawal of its candidate from ward 14 in Arilova.

Reddy Jeeva Kiranmayi, fielded by the YSRCP in ward 14 east zone, withdrew her nomination on Wednesday, reportedly citing a lack of adequate support from the party. Her withdrawal leaves the Opposition without a candidate in the ward.

This development draws larger attention because former Mayor Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari represented this zone and served as Mayor during the YSRCP regime. However, this time, members of the former Mayor's family and other local leaders did not come forward to contest on behalf of the party.

With the party facing a shortage of candidates, Kiranmayi—wife of YSRCP leader Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi's car driver—was eventually included in the second list of candidates.

Following the announcement, former Mayor Hari Venkata Kumari's husband, GolaganiSrinivasa Rao, introduced Kiranmayi to voters in the ward and campaigned on social media, appealing for their support in the civic polls.

However, the campaign took an unexpected turn after a video released by Kiranmayi's husband went viral. In the video, he reportedly questioned the party's financial support and expressed concern about contesting the election by mortgaging their personal assets without adequate financial backing.

Apparently, the last-minute withdrawal exposed the challenges YSRCP faced in finalising contestants for certain wards and is a blow to its efforts to contest all 120 seats in the GVMC polls.

Following the withdrawal, the party will now have candidates in only 119 wards, leaving ward 14 without a YSRCP aspirant.

Expressing concern over the nomination withdrawal, YSRCP Visakhapatnam district president KK Raju alleged that the candidate was threatened to do so.

He demanded a probe into the development and sought action against those involved in threatening the candidate.