It's not uncommon in Indian politics for parties to shift their legislators to resorts and hotels in other states to keep competing factions from trying to poach them before critical votes. What is happening, though, in Andhra Pradesh is something entirely different.
The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which heads the present ruling coalition, and the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) have advanced this tactic one step further by relocating their corporators overseas.
Ahead of voting on a no-confidence motion against Visakhapatnam Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari on April 19, both the parties are leaving no stone unturned to ensure their corporators are in sync by shifting them abroad.
The YSRCP, resolved to prevent the no-confidence motion in the council of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), has shifted its corporators to Sri Lanka, following having first deployed them in Karnataka.
TDP, meanwhile, has shifted its corporators to Malaysia from their original base at Bhogapuram.
The corporators went to Malaysia in two batches, with their families accompanying them.
Political commentators have noted that the shifting of corporators to overseas destinations is unprecedented in Indian politics.
How many corporators YSRCP has transferred to Sri Lanka is not clear since the TDP coalition of NDA claims to retain a majority within the GVMC.
Since taking over in June last year, TDP has made a concerted effort to get defections from YSRCP in both urban and rural local bodies. TDP, with its allies Jana Sena and the BJP, has managed to take over several local bodies by getting no-confidence motions passed against YSRCP's chairpersons.
The TDP is now trying to follow suit in GVMC, where YSRCP is represented by Mayor Kumari and Deputy Mayors J. Sridhar and K. Satish.
YSRCP currently has 59 seats out of the 98-member GVMC, while TDP has 29, Jana Sena has three, and the BJP has one. CPI and CPI(M) each have a corporator.
Recently, TDP has managed to bring over about 20 YSRCP corporators on board. Likewise, Jana Sena's representation has reportedly increased to 11.
The GVMC, which boasts of 97 voting corporators (one ward is vacant) and 14 ex-officio members (MLAs and MPs), is the center of this political fight.
The NDA alliance purportedly has the backing of 73 members comprising 48 TDP corporators, 11 Jana Sena members, two BJP members, and 12 ex-officio members.
With 74 votes needed to floor the no-confidence motion, the NDA is targeting a handful of corporators from opposition groups. The government coalition is also looking to capitalize on perceived disenchantment within YSRCP ranks. There have been reports that some YSRCP corporators are unhappy with the leadership and missing the Sri Lanka camp.
In addition, the NDA group has served a no-confidence motion notice on Deputy Mayor J. Sridhar to the Collector.
A petition signed by 57 corporators has been submitted, and a meeting to consider the no-confidence motion against Sridhar has been fixed for April 26.
Read also| India ready for urgent trade talks amid tough US stance, Says S Jaishankar
