HYDERABAD: As Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan is yet to give her assent to the Telangana Municipalities Act (Amendment) Bill, the councillors are invoking the existing Act and are moving no-confidence motions in over a dozen Municipal Corporations and Municipalities against their mayors and chairpersons.The State Legislature passed the Municipal (Amendment) Bill in September 2022 and sent it to the Governor for her assent. But the Governor has not yet cleared the bill.
The State government’s intention in amending the existing Act was to not allow the councillors from moving no-confidence motions against mayors or chairpersons for the first four years of their five-year term. The objective of the State government was to ensure stability in the urban local bodies, at least for the first four years, so that the development in the ULBs would not get derailed. As the Governor did not give her consent to the Bill, under the existing act the councillors can move a no-confidence motion against the mayors and chairpersons after completion of three years of their five-year term which they are making use of.
Councillors of over a dozen ULBs including Ibrahimpatnam, Vikarabad, Tandur, Medchal, Pedda Amberpet, Dammaiguda, Jangaon, Huzurabad, Alair, Yadagirigutta, Chandur and few others submitted representations to the respective district collectors for moving no-confidence motions against mayors and municipal chairpersons.
Councillors of a few more ULBs are also getting ready to give notice for moving no-confidence motions.
The BRS has won almost all the ULBs, and municipal corporations in the state and they are headed by either the BRS chairpersons or mayors. But, eyeing the chairperson/mayor’s posts, BRS councillors are moving no-trust motions against the incumbent mayors and chairpersons. As per the Act, once a notice for a no-confidence motion is given, the district collector has to call for a meeting of the council within 30 working days and conduct voting.
Most municipalities headed by BRS
The BRS has won almost all the ULBs, and municipal corporations in the State and they are headed by either the BRS chairpersons or mayors. But, eyeing the chairperson/mayor’s posts, BRS councillors are moving no-trust motions against the incumbent mayors and chairpersons.