Amaravati: The Jana Sena Party led by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Pawan Kalyan, has again scored a 100 per cent strike rate, winning all the seats it contested in the elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
In a repeat of its performance in the 2024 general elections, the Jana Sena won all the seats allotted to it under the seat sharing agreement among NDA partners.
The Jana Sena won all the mayoral and municipal chairperson posts it contested to set a new record in municipal polls.
Pawan Kalyan’s party, the second key party in the TDP-led coalition, bagged the posts of mayors of both Vijayawada and Eluru corporations.
The Jana Sena also won the posts of chairpersons of all 14 municipalities and three nagar panchayats it contested.
The party not only registered victories in its Assembly constituencies but also expanded itself to other towns.
It succeeded in building the leadership by fielding those who came into the party fold from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Former MLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, who joined Jana Sena only a few days before elections, has been elected as mayor of Vijayawada.
Radhakrishna defeated YSRCP candidate Rayana Bhagyalakshmi by 1,30,872 votes. Radhakrishna secured 2,65,888 votes, while Bhagyalakshmi polled 1,35,016 votes.
Radhakrishna is son of Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga, a prominent leader who was killed by a rival faction in 1988 while he was sitting on a hunger strike in Vijayawada.
Radhakrishna was elected to the Assembly in 2004 from Vijayawada East constituency on a Congress ticket. He unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Assembly elections as the candidate of Praja Rajyam Party, which was floated by Pawan Kalyan’s elder brother and popular actor Chiranjeevi.
Jana Sena’s Reddy Appalanaidu has been elected as mayor of Eluru Municipal Corporation.
In 2024 elections, the Jana Sena had won all 21 Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats it contested.
Like in the 2024 polls, the NDA made clean sweep in municipal elections.
Out of 100 ULBs for which elections were held, the coalition won 94 ULBs. Its candidates were elected as mayors in 11 out of 13 corporations. It was leading in Ongole where the counting of votes was taken up on Wednesday.
Opposition YSR Congress Party could win only one corporation and three municipalities.
As part of seat sharing agreement among NDA partners, the post of mayor of Anantapur Municipal Corporation was left for the BJP. However, YSRCP’s Ramesh Goud defeated BJP candidate Ajeesh Babu.
BJP won the posts of chairpersons of all four municipalities it contested.
The TDP rebels emerged victorious in two municipalities.
–IANS–
