Amaravati: Election to Guntur Municipal Corporation would be held soon. There is no elected body to the GMC for the past six years and people alleged that the absence of the elected representatives is creating problems to them in solving public issues and hampering city’s development.
The state government decided to conduct elections to the GMC after Krishna Pushkaralu. So, the GMC started revision of electoral rolls in the city. The Telugu Desam, Congress and the BJP are preparing plans to win the GMC elections and started searching for influential local candidates.
The GMC consisted of 52 wards during the last elections held in 2007. Now five more wards have been added following the merger of as many as 10 villages. In July 2012, 10 adjacent villages namely Nallapadu, Adavitakkellapadu, Gorantla, Peddapalakaluru, Reddypalem, Ankireddypalem, Budampadu, Yetukuru, Pothuru and Chowdavaram were merged in the GMC, which now increased the wards to 57 from earlier 52 wards.
The GMC recently started revision of electoral rolls as a preparation for corporation elections. The mayoral post of the GMC is now very important in view of new capital Amaravati establishment. A majority of government departments are being shifted to Guntur and Vijayawada and the activity of political leaders including union/state ministers, MPs and other VIPs has been increasing.
The Kapus, Muslims, Reddys and Vysyas are dominant in Guntur. Former minister and senior politician Kanna Lakshminarayana who worked as minister six times belongs to Kapu community. After the bifurcation of AP, he joined the BJP, so the saffron party is planning to grab the GMC with his influence.
Md Mustafa won the Guntur East MLA seat and YSRC is planning to lure the minorities, Kapus, BCs, SCs and other castes. TD’s M. Venugopala Reddy won the Guntur West Assembly seat and making good use of public support.
