JSP, YSRCP in war of words over GVMC polls, city development and water scarcity

Visakhapatnam: With local body elections around the corner, political heat has intensified in Visakhapatnam.

Recently, leaders of the ruling party and YSRCP are making contrasting claims over the parties’ prospects and the city’s developmental issues.

Jana Sena Party Visakhapatnam city president and south constituency MLA Ch Vamsi Krishna Srinivas expressed confidence that the YSRCP has no possibility of winning even a single seat in North Andhra in the forthcoming local body polls.

He mentioned that the coalition government had given fresh impetus to development in Andhra Pradesh and asserted that major projects, including Polavaram, Veligonda, Bhogapuram International Airport and the Beach Corridor, would surely change the state’s economic landscape.

The MLA alleged that YSRCP leaders were attempting to create unnecessary fear and misconceptions among the public because they could not tolerate the rapid development the state has been witnessing.

Referring to the YSRCP’s decline in the 2024 elections, he said its leaders should introspect on how the party went from winning 151 assembly seats to securing mere 11. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas urged the opposition to focus on constructive discussion of people’s problems rather than spreading misinformation. He made it clear that there is no water scarcity in the city as projected by the YSRCP. Reacting to the false campaign claiming that the proposed data centres in Visakhapatnam could lead to a drinking water crisis, the MLA reiterated that IT Minister Nara Lokesh had already given a detailed clarification on the issue in the Assembly.

He said the government had assured that dedicated pipelines and separate water allocations would be provided for data centres, ensuring that the city’s drinking water supply would not be affected.

Meanwhile, YSRCP Visakhapatnam district spokesperson B.S. Krishna, known as Alfa Krishna, strongly condemned the MLA’s remarks. He stated that the YSRCP is continuously fighting on behalf of the people to seek an immediate solution to the drinking water problems faced in Greater Visakhapatnam.

He claimed that residents in several parts of the city are facing serious difficulties in obtaining drinking water and called upon public representatives to visit the affected areas, interact with the residents and understand the problems faced by them at the ground level.

Krishna expressed confidence that the YSRCP would receive public support in the forthcoming Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation elections and secure a majority of seats.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasu Potnuru

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Potnuru Srinivasa Rao (Vasu Potnuru) is an experienced journalist specialised in politics, sports, crime, general topics and tribal stories. With 18 years of writing and reporting expertise, he contributes to The Hans India's editorial department as Principal Correspondent based in Visakhapatnam. Vasu Potnuru completed his Bachelor of Business Management. Earlier, he worked as a staff reporter in a leading Telugu vernacular. During free time, the journalist spends time listening to music, playing cricket and shuttle badminton. Vasu Potnuru, an accomplished writer, honed his expertise in various genres such as politics, crime, sports and general topics. He received an award from the HYBIZ Media Awards for the Best Rural Story in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Also, he bagged the Best Crime Reporter Award in Visakhapatnam. He serves in different unions of working journalists and contributes to service activities.

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