Ahead of the proposed local body elections, the ruling NDA and the Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) have stepped up preparations, intensifying their engagement with party cadre and drawing up constituency-level strategies.
Senior leaders of both sides have been holding sensitisation and coordination meetings with cadre, focusing on the issues and achievements they intend to take to the electorate.
The NDA has been asking its leaders and cadre to highlight development works taken up in the city over the past two years, including ward-level infrastructure projects and various government initiatives. The YSRCP, meanwhile, has been focusing on issues such as the drinking water crisis and what it describes as failures of the NDA government.
An NDA coordination meeting was held at the TDP Zonal Office on Sunday. A.P. TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao, TDP Visakhapatnam district Parliament party election in-charge M.A. Shareef and in-charge Minister Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy participated in the meeting and discussed preparations for the local body elections, coordination among alliance partners and the action plan to be implemented constituency-wise.
The leaders asked the alliance cadre to remain prepared for the elections and work in close coordination from the village level to the constituency level. Mr. Srinivasa Rao stressed the need for unity, coordination and collective action among the alliance partners and called for a structured mechanism to maintain coordination among elected representatives, party leadership and grassroots-level cadre.
Jana Sena Party Political Affairs Committee member Nadendla Manohar also held a meeting with party cadre recently. District-level meetings are being organised by MLAs and other senior leaders of the alliance.
Former Ministers and YSRCP leaders Gudivada Amarnath and Kurasala Kannababu have also been holding meetings with the cadre. Following the resignation of YSRCP Vizianagaram Zilla Parishad chairperson Majji Srinivasa Rao, alias Chinni, nephew of Mr. Botcha Satyanarayana and the party coordinator for Bheemili, the party has intensified its meetings in the constituency.
NDA leaders are planning to highlight development initiatives in the region, including the inauguration of the Alluri Sitharama Raju International Airport and the proposed Google data centre, apart from ward-level development works.
A senior TDP leader said the recent regularisation of title deeds had benefited nearly 28,000 people in the city. The party would also highlight the government’s plans to address issues relating to Section 22-A, Panchagramalu and other pending matters, as promised by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has reportedly asked district leaders to highlight what the party describes as failures of the NDA government, particularly the drinking water crisis and the removal of shops as part of the Operation Lungs initiative.
While YSRCP leaders are seeking to make the water crisis a major election issue, NDA leaders have attributed the situation to the El Niño effect and said corrective measures are being taken. They have pointed to drinking water projects worth ₹1,000 crore and plans to bring Godavari water from the Polavaram Left Main Canal to Visakhapatnam as part of the government’s long-term measures.
Published – September 27, 2026 06:09 pm IST
