PARVATHIPURAM-MANYAM: The wedding of a couple in Salur municipality has generated considerable political speculation after the reservation of municipal chairperson posts was made public. Vaikuntapu Harshavardhan, a former TDP councillor, married Gulla Manjeera on Tuesday at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, shortly after the announcement that the chairperson position would be reserved for a backward classes (BC) woman.

Harshavardhan, who had aspirations for the chairperson role, now sees his wife Manjeera as the leading candidate for the position following the reservations for the upcoming civic elections.

Local analysts have pointed out that the timing of the wedding coincided with the announcement regarding the chairperson’s reservation for a BC woman, raising questions about whether this was a strategic move to promote his wife as a contender for the role.

Salur, located on the Andhra-Odisha border, has a population of approximately 50,000 and consists of 12,500 households across 32 wards.

Harshavardhan previously served as a TDP councillor for Ward 19 and is a member of the Koppala Velama community, receiving support from local MLA and state minister Gummadi Sandhyarani.