KARIMNAGAR: The TRS party retained power in the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) by winning 33 out of the 60 divisions. The party’s leaders were confident of increasing their tally from 24 divisions in the previous elections to more than 40 divisions this time.
Though the party had a clear majority, in many divisions, there was neck-to-neck competition between the pink party and BJP candidates. Apart from this, the competition from the rebel candidates also seems to have had an impact on the fortunes of the TRS.
Congress fared the worst in this election, as the grand old party failed to win at least one division. This is the first time in the corporation’s history that the Congress is going home with nothing.
The BJP managed to bag 13 divisions, increasing its tally from two in 2014. The AIMIM too increased its tally in MCK, as it won six divisions in this election, as compared to only two divisions in the previous elections.
The All India Forward Block (AIFB), which won in three divisions, seems to have become a platform for candidates who were unsuccessful in securing tickets from the major political parties. Independent candidates secured five divisions of the MCK.
Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections for the MCK will be held on January 29. Mayor aspirants Vangapalli Rajender Rao, Y Sunil Rao and former MCK Mayor S Ravinder Singh won the elections; this is expected to heat up the race for the post.