Date:17/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/17/stories/2008121759330300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

A smooth affair

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Election of Muttamsetty Venkata Ratna Bindu as Mayor in the special meeting of the general body of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation on Tuesday was a smooth affair that lasted barely 15 minutes.

Soon after the meeting began at the scheduled time of 11 a.m., the Congress party’s floor leader in the general body, Kalapala Ambedkar, proposed the candidature of Ms. Ratna Bindu, while Deputy Mayor Samanthapudi Narasaraju seconded it. With no other name coming up, Krishna district Joint Collector B. Ramaiah, Presiding Officer for the election, declared Ms. Ratna Bindu elected and presented the certificate of election to her.

Congress corporators congratulated Ms. Ratna Bindu by thumping benches, while her predecessor Mallika Begum, Mr. Narasaraju and others lined up to present bouquets and garlands. Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, Kankipadu MLA Devineni Rajasekhar (Nehru), Vijayawada West MLA Sk. Nasar Vali, Vijayawada East MLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, MLC Ilapuram Venkaiah and others congratulated her on being elected unanimously.

Ms. Ratna Bindu, getting down from the podium, walked up to CPI (M) floor leader Ch. Babu Rao, CPI floor leader P. Gowtham Reddy and TDP floor leader Y. Ramana at their seats, and thanked them for their cooperation.

The Congress, which has 29 corporators in the 59-member body, issued a whip asking all its corporators to attend voting without fail and vote for Ms. Ratna Bindu, in the wake of reports that the Opposition parties might field a candidate against her. In addition to the 59 elected members, the MP, three MLAs and two MLCs (Jalli Wilson was not present) also have voting rights, in the case of an election.

Fourth woman

Ms. Ratna Bindu is the fourth woman to hold the coveted post in the city. She was preceded by Panchumarthi Anuradha (TDP), Tadi Sakuntala (then the CPI and now Praja Rajyam Party) and Mallika Begum (Congress) in that order. She will have a term till October 6, 2010.

Ms. Ratna Bindu later told media persons that she was delighted to be elected for one of the coveted posts in the VMC.

She vowed to make all efforts to accelerate and complete the ongoing developmental works taken up under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme.