The Hindu : Front Page : Tadi Sakunthala elected Mayor

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Saturday, Oct 08, 2005

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Tadi Sakunthala elected Mayor

Staff Reporter

Cherukuri Krishna Kumar of the Congress is new Deputy Mayor

CELEBRATION TIME: Mayor-elect Tadi Sakunthala and Deputy Mayor-elect Ch. Krishna Kumar (second from left) along with their party leaders in Vijayawada on Friday. PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

VIJAYAWADA: Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate Tadi Sakunthala and Congress candidate Cherukuri Krishna Kumar were unanimously elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation on Friday.

District Collector and presiding officer Navin Mittal conducted elections to both posts amidst tight police security in the municipal corporation meeting hall. In a meticulous exercise, Mr. Mittal and election observer Rajeshwar Tiwari administered the oath to all the 59 corporators-elect before conducting the election.

Mr. Mittal, explaining the election process, said that Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be elected by "show of hands". There would be no need for voting if only one candidate was proposed.

Forty-sixth division corporator Samanthapudi Narasaraju proposed the name of Ms. Sakunthala for the Mayor post. CPI (M) corporator Ch.Babu Rao and CPI corporator P.Gowtham Reddy seconded the proposal.

Tense moments

After waiting for a while, Mr. Mittal asked whether there were any more proposals for the post. He repeated his request after a few tense moments, but none of the corporators stirred in their seats. Mr. Mittal then said he was declaring Ms. Sakunthala elected Mayor because she was given B-form by the CPI and no other candidate had been proposed.

The corporators clapped their hands dissolving the tension in the hall. Ms. Sakuntala immediately shook hands with her party man and childhood classmate Gowtham Reddy who was sitting in the row behind her.

Election of Deputy Mayor was conducted without a break. Mr. Gowtham Reddy proposed the name of Congress nominee Cherukuri Krishna Kumar. The proposal was seconded by Congress corporators-- Sistla Ramalingamurthy and Maganti Venkata Narasimha Chowdary. The presiding officer declared Mr. Krishna Kumar elected as he was given B-Form by the Congress and no other name was proposed.

Tight security arrangements were made by the authorities for the election. The police took over the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation office allowing only those who had passes signed by the district Collector to enter.

Oath in style

Congress corporators-elect created a scene when PCC observer Sirajuddin and city Congress president Pyla Sominaidu were not allowed inside. Some corporators-elect refused to take oath and left the meeting hall in protest. They returned only after their leaders were allowed in.

Each of the corporators-elect took oath in their own distinctive style.

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