TDP Names Mayor Candidate First as Tirupati Civic Poll Campaign Picks Up Pace

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) began its campaign for the Tirupati Municipal Corporation elections on Wednesday on a brisk note, announcing its candidate for the Mayor's post and starting outreach ahead of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), in what the party sees as an effort to gain an early advantage.

The TDP named Manne Srinivasa Prasad, known locally as JB Srinivas and currently the party's convener for the local Assembly constituency, as its candidate for the Mayor's post.

The YSRCP, in turn, chose Vasu Yadav, a comparatively lesser-known party worker. The party's Tirupati in-charge, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, announced the candidature, honouring an earlier assurance that the Mayoral seat would go to a Backward Class (BC) candidate, even though the post is unreserved in this election.

According to YSRCP sources, the decision is being seen within the party as a precedent, since it elevates an ordinary grassroots-level worker to the post of the city's first citizen. An unreserved seat is open to candidates from any community, and parties are free to field anyone they choose.

In contrast, the TDP's choice followed a different route. Srinivasa Prasad was initially appointed in-charge of the Assembly constituency but was moved to the Mayor's post at short notice.

The TDP expects the change to work in its favour. Party leaders point to Srinivasa Prasad's personal popularity as a Kapu candidate, a community that is numerically strong in Tirupati. The party has not released any internal assessment to support this claim, and the electoral outcome will depend on voting across all wards of the corporation.

The two candidates also share a recent history. Vasu Yadav had staged a dharna in front of Srinivasa Prasad's residence a couple of months ago, following a disagreement between them. The incident is being recalled in local political circles as the campaign gets under way.

By selecting Vasu Yadav, the YSRCP has closed the door on several other aspirants for the post. The party hopes the choice will help consolidate Backward Class votes in the city, where BC communities form a substantial section of the electorate.

Both parties are now focusing on ward-level mobilisation, with the campaign expected to intensify in the coming days. Local body elections are decided ward by ward, and the Mayor's post is filled through the elected corporators, which makes the parties' declared candidates an important part of their appeal to voters.

Tirupati, a temple town that draws pilgrims from across the country, is also a politically significant urban centre in Andhra Pradesh. The municipal corporation elections are being watched closely as an indicator of the standing of the two main parties in the state's urban constituencies.

The TDP's early start gives it a head start in publicity and door-to-door contact, while the YSRCP is banking on its welfare record and its outreach to Backward Class voters. Neither party has so far released a full list of ward candidates.