NIZAMABAD: At a time when the pink party cadre and local leaders are going all out to ensure the victory of former Nizamabad MP K Kavitha in the byelection to Nizamabad Local Authorities Constituency, a news that as many as six BJP corporators are likely to join the pink fort has started surfacing among the political circles in the district, increasing the hopes of the party members.
It may be recalled that the Election Commission has announced October 9 as the polling date for the byelection to the Nizamabad LAC.
According to sources, the TRS local leaders are confident that around six saffron party corporators are likely to join the pink bastion before Dasara.
Nizamabad Municipal Corporation (NMC) has a total of 60 divisions and the TRS has been ruling it with the support of its unofficial political ally AIMIM.
In the local body elections held earlier this year, the saffron party had emerged as the single largest party in the NMC, infringing all political equations and speculations that prevailed in the district till then. However, the TRS entered into an ally with MIM and grabbed the mayor post.
Soon after the NMC elections, the pink party leaders, under the aegis of Nizamabad (Urban) MLA B Ganesh Gupta and Nizamabad (Rural) MLA Bajireddy Govardhan, started poaching BJP corporators.
As of now, five saffron corporators have joined TRS. It is at this time that the TRS sources have opined that six more BJP corporators are likely to join their party soon, posing a threat to the saffron fort. According to sources, it is by promising the BJP corporators that TRS will help them expedite all pending development works in their respective limits, which would eventually boost their political mileage, that the TRS leaders attract BJP representatives.
It seems as if the BJP leadership is not at all concerned about losing their corporators as they have not yet taken any steps to prevent the exodus even after losing five corporators already.
In the meantime, the absence of Nizamabad MP D Arvind, due to Covid and the monsoon session of the Parliament, is also a major reason for this. BJP district committee president Basawa Laxminarasaiah, a follower of Arvind, has also not been able to prevent this trend.
Though senior BJP leader Yendala Laxminarayana was recently appointed as the party vice-president, he too has not been showing much interest in resolving the issue.
Speaking to Express, BJP floor leader in the NMC G Saravanthi Reddy said: “The people are aware about our political affiliation which is exactly why they voted in favour of us. Those who wish to join TRS might think or claim that they are doing it for development, but the fact is that they won’t have any political future after this.”
She also alleged that the TRS leaders are mounting pressure on BJP corporators.