HYDERABAD: The upcoming municipal corporation elections are shaping up to be a crucial political test for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), particularly for its working president KT Rama Rao and senior leader T Harish Rao, who will be under pressure to retain the party’s influence in their respective strongholds.
During its decade in power, the BRS swept most urban local bodies across Telangana. Now in the Opposition, the party faces the challenge of defending that support base as the Congress seeks to expand its footprint in key municipal corporations.
For Rama Rao, the focus will be on the Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri corporation areas, where he has consistently highlighted Hyderabad’s development under the previous BRS government. The outcome in these urban centres is likely to be seen as a measure of whether the party has retained its appeal among city voters.
Harish Rao, meanwhile, faces a similar challenge in Siddipet Municipal Corporation, which falls within his political bastion. Political observers say the ruling Congress has been targeting Harish Rao, who has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the government.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has also stepped up visits to Siddipet, including the recent inauguration of a palm oil refinery at Narmetta, signalling the Congress’ intent to make inroads into the segment.
Harish Rao, party leaders say, has accordingly intensified his focus on Siddipet, spending considerable time in the constituency to consolidate the organisation ahead of the elections.
The Congress leadership, led by the chief minister, has described the coming municipal elections as the “quarter-finals” ahead of future electoral contests, underlining the political importance attached to the urban polls.
Energising cadre
Over the past two months, Rama Rao and Harish Rao have toured several districts, including Hyderabad, Khammam and Siddipet, while raising issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party has also used these visits to energise its cadre and prepare for the municipal elections, especially in areas where it had performed well in previous Assembly elections.
The BRS, however, has suffered setbacks in recent byelections, including Secunderabad Cantonment and Jubilee Hills. Against this backdrop, party president
K Chandrasekhar Rao is learnt to have asked senior leaders to concentrate on the corporation elections, where the party believes it continues to enjoy considerable support despite defections by some MLAs to the Congress.
Rama Rao has repeatedly accused the Congress government of hurting Hyderabad’s real estate sector through initiatives such as HYDRAA and the Musi river rejuvenation project. At public meetings across the city, he has contrasted the present administration with the infrastructure and development projects undertaken during the BRS government.
Harish Rao, on his part, has also been focusing on corporation areas around Hyderabad, particularly Cyberabad, where he maintains close contact with local leaders and party workers.
Within the party, leaders believe the proposed reorganisation of municipal corporations and the delimitation exercise could reshape the political landscape. They also acknowledge that the Congress, led by Revanth, who earlier represented Malkajgiri in Parliament, is expected to mount a strong campaign in the urban centres.
Party leaders say efforts are under way to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots by reaching out to households and highlighting the BRS government’s record. At the same time, there are concerns over possible defections, particularly because many former corporators had joined the BRS from other parties.
The Congress, they believe, may attempt to bring some of these leaders back into its fold.
Political observers say the elections in Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, Siddipet and Khammam will indicate whether Rama Rao and Harish Rao can rebuild the BRS’ momentum in Telangana’s urban centres.