In a significant development ahead of the no-confidence motion against Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) council, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Behera Bhaskar Rao has met leaders from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) here, and announced his decision to join the Jana Sena Party (JSP) soon. Not just Mr. Rao, two more YSRCP corporators, including son of a senior YSRCP leader from Gajuwaka, and another from the city are also reportedly in talks with the NDA leaders. On April 14, Mr. Bhaskar Rao met Visakhapatnam South MLA Ch. Vamsikrishna Yadav(JSP), Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu (TDP) and GVMC floor leader Peela Srinivasa Rao. On April 15, he met Pendurthi MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu. During their meeting, Mr. Ramesh Babu has also announced that Bhaskar Rao will be given a good position in the party by the JSP high command. Mr. Bhaskar Rao has also stated that he would be supporting the NDA candidate during the no-confidence motion in the corporation. Mr. Bhaskar Rao has also sent his resignation to the YSRCP, but is it yet to be acknowledged by the party high command. Mr. Bhaskar Rao is an ex-officio member in the GVMC, while his wife and daughter-in-law are corporators from the YSRCP in Ward Nos. 91 and 93. Sources within the NDA reveal that Mr. Bhaskar Rao has set several conditions before agreeing to join the alliance. These demands have reportedly been forwarded to the NDA high command for consideration. However, his entry has sparked objections from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) cadre. Party workers are questioning how someone who actively worked against them during the elections can now be welcomed into the party. As per NDA sources, at present, there are 97 corporators for 98 wards and 14 ex-officio members in the GVMC. The NDA corporators claim that their strength is about 72, including 48 TDP corporators, 11 Jana Sena Party (JSP) and two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporators, apart from 12 ex-officio members. Similarly, YSRCP has 34 corporators and support from three ex-officio members. With the latest developments from Mr. Bhaskar Rao’s family, they believe that they would win the no-confidence motion quite easily, as the number of votes required to win is 74. Meanwhile, corporator from the CPI A.J. Stalin announced that both the CPI and the CPI(M) would skip the voting during the no-confidence motion which is scheduled to be held at the GVMC office on April 19.