ANDHRA PRADESH MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

CPI(M) Doubles Its Tally

 M Venugopala Rao

In the elections to the municipal bodies held in Andhra Pradesh, the ruling Congress scored a landslide victory, trouncing the Telugu Desam Party, the BJP and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.  The CPI(M)  doubled its strength seat-wise. Elections were held to 96 municipal councils and 11 corporations in the state on September 24.  By and large,  the polling was peaceful, barring a few incidents of highhanded behaviour of some of the leaders of the ruling party. In the elections to the urban local bodies held in the year 2000, the CPI(M)  secured 36 council seats in 16 municipalities and 8 candidates of the party  won in three munuicipal corporations. In the present elections, the CPI(M) secured 72 councillor seats in 33 municipalities and 17 corporator seats in five corporations.  Elections to some of the divisions in the Vijayawada municipal corporation were postponed due to floods.  In the polling to be  held in Vijayawada on  September 30, the CPI(M) is contesting in nine divisions. In the municipal elections, the CPI(M) contested altogether in 291 seats of councillors and corporators.

In Khammam municipality, out of the 41 seats, the CPI(M) won 18 seats, including the two independent candidates supported by it, and emerged as the single largest party.  In the Miryalguda municipality, out of  the 34 seats, the CPI(M) won 10 seats. In the Kurnool municipal corporation, out of the 50 seats, the CPI(M) won eight seats, without having any electoral understanding with any party. The campaign-cum-struggles conducted consistently and in a systematic manner by the CPI(M) during the last two to three years on the problems of the people in the urban areas and deployment of its cadres and their work there  mainly contributed to the victory of the CPI(M) in the municipal elections.  Just as they did in the general elections to the legislative assembly last year, this time, too, the CPI(M) and the CPI had tried to avoid division in the votes between the Congress and the Left parties but succeeded only partially. The CPI secured 44 seats in municipal councils and 5 seats in municipal corporations.

There are several reasons for the verdict of the electorate in these elections.  During the 15-month rule of the Congress in the state, no additional burdens were imposed on the      urban people as a whole.  While the erstwhile TDP government did not issue ration cards, especially white ration cards for the families below the poverty line, during its 9-year rule and issued the same just before the last general elections, Dr Rajasekhara Reddy government issued the ration cards extensively all over the state.  Ineffective performance of the TDP during the last 15 months as the main opposition party contributed to its succesive defeat in the municipal elections.   Except hurling tirades against Rajasekhara Reddy and his family, the TDP could not take up any substantial issues of the common people to catch their imagination.  In the assembly elections, the TDP and the BJP contested together with electoral understanding.  However they contested in the municipal elections independently without any adjustment of seats.  Rajasekhara Reddy government responded to the movements of the Left parties and took  some positive steps like issuing ration cards, and to some extent, sanctioning  house sites and houses.  Its position as the ruling party also added to its advantage in the municipal elections and ensured its landslide victory.

The TRS, which has been working on the plank of separate Telangana state, is continuing in the central cabinet, while its ministers in the state cabinet resigned.  Except trying to hoodwink the people by making statements about separate Telangana state, the TRS could not raise any issues of the people.  The intemperate and provocative language employed by the top leaders and union ministers of the TRS, K Chandrasekhara Rao and A Narendra,  caused embarrassment and even put the party’s leaders and cadres on the defensive and evoked aversion among the people. This time, the TRS contested alone, without any adjustment with the Congress.

Commenting on the results, B V Raghavulu, state secretary and Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), has said the results are on the expected lines.  He has said that, as a result of  the overwhelming support of the people, greater responsibility lies on the shoulders of the Congress government to see to it that positive steps are taken to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the urban people and provide them necessary civic amenities.   The party-wise tally of seats won by different political parties is given alongside.                  

                                               Congress         TDP            CPI(M)   CPI     BJP        TRS

Municipal councillors            1640             846        72           44              76           76

Municipal corporators             272             126         17            5                  9           10