Left parties, Congress back candidature of Venkateswara Rao for VMC Mayor post
Left-leaning parties and the Congress have endorsed former IPS officer Venkateswara Rao as their candidate for mayor of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. Following Rao’s appeal, Congress withdrew its own mayoral nominee. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India and CPI(M) have negotiated a seat‑sharing arrangement for the corporation’s councillor elections. The coordination seeks to consolidate opposition votes ahead of the upcoming local elections.