VIJAYAWADA: Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi, who was elected unanimously as the fifth woman mayor of Vijaywada on Thursday, said her top priority is to implement the welfare schemes of the government and transform Vijayawada into a modern city by taking up various infrastructure projects with Rs 600 crore sanctioned by the State government recently.
“A plan of action will be evolved soon with the coordination of officials concerned to ensure drinking water supply to the residents during summer. I am ready to take suggestions of other corporators too and will develop the city on all fronts,” she said.
Bhagya Lakshmi, a first-time corporator, who won the 46th division on YSRC ticket, sworn in as the mayor at the municipal corporation council meeting on Thursday. Bhagya Lakshmi worked as a cable operator.
District Collector A Md Imtiaz, who had convened the Municipal Corporation Council meeting with the newly elected members, announced Bhagya Lakshmi as the mayor based on B-form submitted by 47 YSRC corporators, out of the total 64.
B Durga (division 15) was elected as deputy mayor. Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao and AP Brahmin Welfare Corporation chairman and MLA Malladi Vishnu were also present. Earlier, the YSRC corporators paid rich tributes to the statue of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in the city.
Bhagya Lakshmi’s selection as a mayor came as a surprise for many. It was B Punyaseela, party floor leader in the previous Council, who was the frontrunner for the post. However, Bhagya Lakshmi was picked by the party as the mayoral candidate and it was said that minister Vellampalli played a key role in getting her the post.
Punyaseela abstained from the oath-taking ceremony and election to mayor and deputy mayor of VMC. Fourteen TDP corporators and one CPI (M) corporator were also administered oath by the district collector.
Rotation policy in Masula, Venkateswaramma mayor for first two years
M Venkateswaramma of division 23 was unanimously elected as first Mayor of Machilipatnam after it was upgraded into a municipal corporation. She hails from BC Community. Joint Collector K Madhavi Latha, who is the presiding officer, administered oath to the newly elected mayor and corporators. The State government has decided to follow rotation policy for the mayor post. Venkateswaramma will serve as the mayor for the first two years of the council, while Ch Nageswaramma will be the mayor for the remaining tenure. T Kavitha of division 12 was elected as deputy mayor. She hails from SC Community