The YSR Congress Party seems to have an upper hand in the elections to the urban and rural local bodies in Prakasam district following the exit of key leaders from the Opposition Telugu Desam Party, including Chirala MLA Karanam Balarama Krishnamurthy and MLC Pothula Sunitha on the poll eve.
A team of YSRCP leaders led by Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy hand-picked the nominees for the 50 divisions in Ongole Municipal Corporation as also for 55 ZPTCs and 742 MPTCs which go to polls as prestige is at stake for the ruling party.
The TDP leaders could tilt the balance in favour of the ruling party in the local body elections in several of the Assembly segments including Chirala, Parchur, Addanki, S.N.Padu, Darsi and Kandukur.
Ms. Gangada Sujatha and Ms. K. Kamala, aspirants for the post of Mayor, were among the over 270 candidates who filed their papers in the 50 Divisions. TDP city unit president K. Nageswara Rao has also thrown his hat in the ring. Others in the fray from the YSRCP include former muncipal councillors E. Suresh Babu, E. Madhava Rao, Ch. Gopi, O. Seshaiah and S. Ananda Rao. Former TDP councillors who are testing their electoral fortunes include B. Murali and D. Venkata Ramanaiah.
Meanwhile, former TDP Minister Sidda Raghava Rao denied media reports that he was quitting the party.
As many as 385 candidates, including 176 from the YSRCP and 99 from the TDP, have filed their papers for the ZPTC seats and 3,806 candidates, including 1,937 YSRCP nominees and 1,334 TDP candidates, are in the fray for the MPTC seats. The nominations include ‘cover candidates’ and rebel contestants.
