HYDERABAD: The TRS has once again scored a major win in its first-ever municipal elections after the Telangana formation in 2014, making a clean sweep of about 110 of the 120 municipalities and eight of nine municipal corporations.
In the process, the ruling party has torn the Congress and the BJP to shreds. Both the parties ended up with three municipalities each and drew a blank in corporations. With this election, the TRS has won all the polls held thus far in Telangana, emerging as an invincible super power.
The surge of the pink remained unabated ever since the counting of votes began at 8 am on Saturday. The numbers kept adding as the day progressed with the TRS picking up ULBs one after the other, in an unfaltering rhythm. The election was held for 2,647 wards in 120 municipalities and 382 divisions in nine municipal corporations on January 22 and for Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar, the polls were held on January 24.
The welfare schemes like Rythu Bandhu and Asara pensions seemed to have done the trick for the TRS besides the ongoing work in towns like Mission Bhagiratha. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s warning to the Ministers that they would have to face the music if they were found wanting in the efforts to ensure TRS nominees’ win in the election appears to have worked.An elated Chief Minister said: “I see the verdict as a task given to us to carry on our programmes. For other parties winning is just a game but not for us”. He thanked the people for reposing faith in him like never before.
Polarisation of votes both in favour of TRS and MIM
As the TRS lead remained unassailable, the party cadres burst into celebrations, dancing and singing to the drum beats in all towns as well as at Telangana Bhavan. The TRS, keen on wresting all the civic bodies, is trying to win the posts of chairman and vice-chairman, mayor and deputy mayor with the help of votes of the ex-officio members, including MPs, MLAs and MLCs. “The idea is not to let even one ULB slip out of our hands to the Opposition parties,” a TRS leader said.
Ever since the formation of the Telangana State in 2014, the TRS has not lost any election. It flew its pink flag high in the Assembly, Lok Sabha, and Zilla Parishad elections. The party, in fact, bagged all the 32 zilla parishads, which was a record of sorts in the entire country. The latest was its resounding victory in Huzurnagar Assembly election where its candidate wrested the seat held by TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
The outcome of the municipal elections on Saturday came as a heady potion for party working president KT Rama Rao, who, brimming with confidence, said he would consider the results as the verdict of the people on his capability as the Minister for Municipal Administration and as TRS working president. The results also drove home the point that once again, neither the BJP nor the Congress has a leader worth his salt to measure up to KCR and challenge him.
The elections also witnessed an interesting polarisation of votes in favour of the TRS and the MIM, which helped them vanquish the BJP and the Congress. After the TRS voted against the CAA in the Parliament, it was widely expected that KCR would go to town against the Central legislation. But that did not happen and interestingly, his ally, MIM, did. According to analysts, helped the Muslims rally behind the MIM where it had serious contestants and behind the TRS where it fielded weak candidates.
As KCR did not oppose the CAA vehemently, it is expected that the Hindus remained with him, though some of them may have preferred the BJP. As the BJP had no prospects of coming to power, the Hindu voters are perceived to have stayed with KCR. This way, the Telangana leader had the best of both Hindus and the Muslims. Now that the elections are over, KCR seems to have decided to take up the demand for the repeal of CAA.