GVMC Mayor post reserved for women as Visakhapatnam prepares for first direct mayoral election in 26 years

Political activity in the city has picked up following the Andhra Pradesh government’s release of G.O. Ms. No. 252, which finalises the reservation categories for the posts of Mayor in the State’s 17 municipal corporations, including the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) here.

Issued by Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar on Monday (October 12, 2026), the notification reserves the GVMC Mayor post for Women (General).

The upcoming civic polls follow a major change in local body governance enacted by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly through the Municipal Laws (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2026. The legislation restored the direct election of Mayors and Chairpersons of urban local bodies for a fixed five-year term, reversing the indirect election model that had been in place since August 2005.

In 2000, Rajana Ramani won the Mayor’s seat in a direct (public vote) election under the previous Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (VMC). This was the last direct mayoral election held in the city for over two decades, as subsequent elections (following the city’s upgrade to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation) shifted to the indirect system. Golagani Hari Venkata Kumari won the seat in the indirect voting system.

“This format marks the return of direct mayoral elections to Visakhapatnam after 26 years. The last direct election was held in 2000 when the body was under the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation. Rajana Ramani was the Mayor then. If our alliance parties win, our top priority would be the water supply to the city,” Gajuwaka MLA and TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao told The Hindu.

By empowering citizens to elect their civic heads directly, the reform aims to strengthen grassroots democracy and enhance accountability, he added.

Under the new mayoral reservations, GVMC joins Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Guntur and Kadapa under the Women (General) category. Across the State, the 17 mayoral positions are distributed across Scheduled Tribes (1), Scheduled Castes (2), Backward Classes (5), Women (General) (5) and unreserved open seats (4).

With the municipal election framework finalised, parties in Visakhapatnam, both the ruling NDA and the opposition, are reworking their strategies. The combination of a direct mandate and the reservation of the top civic post for women has set off internal deliberations as parties begin shortlisting women leaders for the GVMC mayoral office.