VIJAYAWADA: After facing a humiliating defeat in the gram panchayat elections, the Opposition TDP has now decided to try everything possible to win the ensuing urban local body elections on March 10. To boost the morale of the party leaders and cadre and improve the winning chances of the contesting candidates, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu will conduct roadshows in six municipal corporations in five days.
Naidu will start his tour from Kurnool on March 4 where he will conduct a roadshow covering major division of the Kurnool Municipal Corporation (KMC) and from the next day, he will tour Chittoor, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur cities.
The main issue Naidu is likely to raise is the hike in property tax from April 1, 2021 in Municipal Corporations and municipalities by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. Naidu, sources said, will assure the voters that the TDP, if voted to power in the urban local bodies, will pass a resolution in the very first meeting of the elected body reducing the property tax.
Naidu will explain how the YSRC government is planning to burden the people in urban areas by levying property tax on registration value of the property. “Middle class people are already burdened with the day-by-day increase of petrol and diesel prices. If the property taxes too are increased, people will face severe financial burden,’’ Naidu said at an interaction with the party leaders ahead of his proposed roadshows.
On the other hand, leaders including MLAs and ministers of the YSRC have been actively touring corporations and municipalities in their respective districts and chalking out strategies to win the municipal elections.
Many TDP candidates withdraw papers
The worst fears of TDP leaders that their candidates may withdraw from the fray at the last moment leading to unanimous victory to the YSRC have come true with several divisions in corporations and municipalities reportedly going in favour of the ruling party unanimously. Reports said in municipalities and corporations like Proddutur, Kovvur, Yelamanchili and others, all the opposition candidates withdrew from the contest at the last minute. The official announcement of unanimous elections will be out on Wednesday.
Forced withdrawals: Candidates yet to file papers
Chittoor: Though the State Election Commission (SEC) permitted candidates, who were allegedly prevented from filing nominations or forced to withdraw in the civic body poll process held last year, to file their nominations again, no nominee in the Punganur municipality in Chittoor district came forward to file their nominations on Tuesday. The candidates, who were allegedly forced to withdraw, were served notices on Monday, asking them to file their nomination again.