TDP local leaders push for Rajam municipal chairperson seat ahead of elections

Local leaders of the Telugu Desam Party in Vizianagaram district want their party to contest the upcoming chairperson election for the Rajam municipality. This local vote is drawing attention because it will happen after a gap of 21 years. TDP members argue they have a rightful claim to the seat after spending two decades fighting legal hurdles related to merging nearby villages into Rajam.

Party Push and Demands

Several TDP leaders met MLA Kondru Murali Mohan and gave him a written request to take up the matter with the party high command. The seat was earlier given to the Jana Sena Party as part of state-level seat sharing among the TDP, JSP, and BJP. However, TDP members point out that JSP already received the mayor seat in Srikakulam and chairperson seats in Palakonda and Saluru. A senior leader who spoke without giving his name said the high command could convince the JSP to trade the Rajam seat for more councillor seats, noting that JSP lacks a local base in Rajam and recently lost MPTC segments while TDP won 62 MPTC seats and four ZPTCs.

Next Steps

Local TDP figures are urging Mr. Murali Mohan to present the ground situation directly to TDP National President and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and National General Secretary Nara Lokesh. A party group plans to travel to Vijayawada in a few days to meet leadership before the election schedule drops within a week. Meanwhile, local JSP leaders say taking back the seat after a state-level agreement would be unfair.

Context

Local body elections in India often involve delicate seat-sharing talks between allied political parties at the state level that must be balanced against ground-level strength. When coalition partners contest the same regions, local units frequently lobby state leadership to revise pre-arranged allocations based on grassroots influence.