Candidates push on with campaigns despite Cyclone Arnab disruptions

Cyclone Arnab may have disrupted the election campaign for the ongoing local body elections, but it did little to dampen the spirit of the candidates, who found ways to keep the poll momentum going despite heavy rain and waterlogging in several parts of the city.

While some candidates braved the rain to continue their door-to-door campaigns, others used the weather-enforced break to meet community representatives, seek the support of professional associations and hold discussions with party leaders and cadre on their election preparedness.

TDP Mayor candidate Mukka Sravani, accompanied by TDP leader Ganta Ravi Teja, campaigned across several wards in the Bheemunipatnam Assembly constituency on Tuesday morning, moving through the rain with umbrellas to meet voters and sustain the party's outreach.

YSRCP corporator candidates from several wards in the South Assembly constituency, with the support of former MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar, continued their campaign in One Town. The candidates and their supporters, many of them wearing raincoats, moved through the localities with their customary campaign atmosphere, including drums, ensuring that the election atmosphere remained lively despite the cyclone threat.

YSRCP Mayor candidate Varudu Kalyani, meanwhile, reached out to members of the District Court Bar Association. She met the association members and sought their support in the elections.

A senior MLA from the NDA also held meetings with constituency-level leaders to review the situation and discuss campaign preparedness in view of the disruption caused by the cyclone. The discussions focused on assessing the prevailing circumstances and working out the next course of action as the election schedule continued to draw closer.

For several corporator candidates and their close associates, the day also involved monitoring the situation on the ground. They coordinated with those involved in relief measures, checked on residents' safety and visited colonies, particularly low-lying areas that were vulnerable to waterlogging and the impact of heavy rain.

Election campaign vehicles, fitted with public address systems and carrying publicity material, continued to move through several colonies despite the rain and waterlogged roads on Tuesday. Campaign announcements and appeals to voters could be heard in many areas until the evening.