Left parties and the Aam Aadmi Party have jointly announced 25 candidates for the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections, putting civic services, pollution, water supply and public resource management at the centre of their campaign in Visakhapatnam.
The list was announced at a press conference at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) office in the city. It includes 14 candidates from the CPM, six from the CPI, four from the AAP and one independent candidate.
CPM state leader Ch. Narsinga Rao, CPI state assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy and AAP district convener Mikkili Ravi Bhaskara Rao appealed to voters to support the alliance. They also urged voters to reject candidates backed by the ruling TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance.
The leaders said the alliance would seek to establish a corruption-free, accountable and people-centric administration in the civic body. They alleged that government policies were favouring corporate interests at the expense of public welfare and democratic values. These allegations were made during the press conference and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The alliance identified air pollution, water scarcity and inadequate drinking water supply among Visakhapatnam’s main civic concerns. Its leaders also criticised the allocation of hill areas for data centres, arguing that such development could intensify environmental pressure and increase the burden on the city’s infrastructure.
The parties further alleged that funds belonging to the GVMC and the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) were being diverted by the state government. The supplied report did not provide details of the alleged diversion, including the amount involved, the projects affected or any official response from the state government or the civic authorities.
The left leaders cited their earlier role in securing improved drinking water supply through the Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme. They also referred to resolutions opposing the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and said left-affiliated corporators had consistently raised public issues in the civic body.
The joint electoral effort includes the CPM, CPI, MCPI, CPI (ML) Prajaporu, SUCI (C) and AAP. Alongside the candidate announcement, the parties promised improved civic services, accountable governance and development focused on public welfare.
Other leaders present at the press conference included CPM district secretary M. Jaggu Naidu, CPI district leader Paidiraju and representatives of the supporting parties. The announcement places the alliance’s civic agenda before voters as the parties prepare to contest the GVMC elections.
