TDP faces double challenge in Chittoor Mayoral contest

The Telugu Desam Party-led alliance faces a double challenge in the Chittoor Mayoral contest — first, a fight with rival YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), and second, the challenge of keeping disappointed aspirants within its ranks.

Former Mayor Katari Hemalatha is the alliance candidate, while former Deputy Mayor R. Chandrasekhar will represent the YSRCP for the post reserved for BC general category.

The TDP’s selection of Ms. Hemalatha, the daughter-in-law of the slain Katari couple, Katari Anuradha (also a Mayor when she was murdered) and Katari Mohan, reportedly reflects experience, community representation, and the need to balance rival claims. Hemalatha has served as Mayor and currently is the Chairperson of the Chittoor Urban Development Authority (CHUDA).

However, the decision to finalise Hemalatha reportedly followed intense lobbying. The family of former MLA C.K. Babu sought the post for his wife, Lavanya. Former corporator Cherukuri Vasanth Kumar, who recently passed away, TDP’s Kajuru Balaji’s family, and other local leaders were also reported to be in the race. Jana Sena Party (JSP) had also expressed interest before the allocation of the post was decided. The leadership ultimately selected Hemalatha, but the decision has not resolved the ambitions of those who were overlooked.

Reports suggest Chittoor MLA Gurajala Jagan Mohan has stepped up efforts to pacify the dissatisfied leaders, seeking their cooperation with assurances of recognising their support. Whether C.K. Babu’s supporters and other disappointed groups actively campaign for Hemalatha is yet to be known. Resentment, limited mobilisation or cross-voting could complicate the alliance’s efforts, according to senior party cadres.

The ruling camp is banking on the 2024 Assembly result. Gurajala Jagan Mohan won Chittoor with a majority of 14,604 votes, including a lead of about 11,500 in the city. Alliance leaders hope electoral strength, development claims, and Hemalatha’s network will turn the result in their favour. The sympathy wave in favour of Hemalatha in the backdrop of her in-laws’ brutal murder in November 2015 is unlikely to be a factor after a decade, the cadres added.

Meanwhile, Chandrasekhar and the YSRCP are seeking to turn grievances over the major road-widening works into an election issue, particularly among residents who claim to have suffered property losses or disruption. The party’s Chittoor in-charge, M. Vijayananda Reddy, has launched a aggressive campaign in favour of the candidate. The party also hopes to benefit from differences within the ruling alliance and consolidate support among sections of the dominant ‘Vannekula Kshatriya’ community in the corporation limits.