2 major cities get women mayors
Sudharani is Warangal’s first citizen, Neeraja sets a record in Khammam
Punukollu Neeraja, corporator from 26th division of the TRS, was elected unanimously as mayor of Khammam Municipal Corporation on Friday. She was the choice of many TRS leaders including Sattupalli MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah.
Neeraja and her husband Ramabrahmam hail from Krishna district and settled down in Khammam 35 years ago. Shaik Fathima Johara, corporator from 37th division was elected deputy mayor.
Key TRS leaders like transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar, MLC Balasani Laxminarayana and Veeraiah were not present at the event.
Minister for roads and buildings Vemula Prasanth Reddy and TRS
state general secretary Nukala Naresh Reddy, who stayed in a hotel, oversaw the mayor and deputy mayor election process.
They first talked to Neeraja and Fathima and later to other corporators. TRS corporators were told the two were selected by the party high command.
Mayor Neeraja said she has a desire to shape Khammam on par with Hyderabad with the help of all corporators. “I will try to make all the roads clean, in the minimum,” she promised.
In Warangal, Gundu Sudharani was elected unanimously as mayor of the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation
(GWMC) and Rizwana
Shameem as Deputy
Mayor on Friday.
The election for the two posts were held after the oath-taking ceremony of the 66 newly elected corporators. Eight corporator-elects under home isolation took oath via video calls.
Prior to the oath-taking ceremony, ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Indrakaran Reddy convened a meeting with all the elected TRS corporators at Hanamkonda and declared the names of the chosen candidates.
Gundu Sudharani is state president of the TRS women’s wing. She had also served as women’s cooperative finance corporation chairman. The 57-yearold completed her MA in Public Administration and belongs to the Padmashali community.
She had been chosen for the upper house by TD chief Chandrababu
Naidu in 2010 when she was a corporator. While holding the position, she joined the TRS in November 2015.
Her daughter-in-law Gundu Ashritha Reddy served as a corporator in the previous GWMC governing body from the 24th division. Sudharani’s spouse Prabhakar owns a hotel in Hanamkonda.
Edla Narasimha Goud was unanimously elected municipal chairman of Achampet municipality. Presiding officer Pandu Naiku gave the oath of office to the newly elected ward members on Friday. Pareddy Sailaja was elected as vice-chairman unanimously.
In Jadcherla, Dorepalli Lakshmi and Paladi Sarika elected as chairperson and vice chairperson of the civic body. Presiding officer and additional collector Tejas Nandalal read out the oath of office to the 27 members.