KARIMNAGAR: Amid dramatic twists and turns in the election of Karimnagar mayor and deputy mayor, the BJP managed to secure both the posts with the support of three Independent corporators and the ex-officio vote of MoS for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay on Monday.
While Kolagani Srinivas bagged the mayor post, Y Sunil Rao secured the deputy mayor post.
The election, held during a special council meeting at the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar, was marked by strategic abstentions and tense moments after 10 BRS corporators staged a walkout right after taking oath.
The Congress, along with AIMIM, AIFB and Independent corporators, backed its mayoral candidate Akula Narmada and deputy mayoral nominee Heena Afreen.
Though the duo secured 22 votes each, they fell short of the required number to clinch the posts. It may be mentioned here that one Independent corporator had earlier joined the BRS.
But the BJP, which had 30 corporators in the 66-member corporation, bagged both the mayor and deputy mayor posts with Srinivas and Sunil Rao securing the magic figure of 34 with the support of three Independents and Bandi Sanjay’s vote.
BRS MLA Gangula Kamalakar did not attend the meeting, while Congress MLA Kavvampally Satyanarayana attended the oath-taking ceremony but left the office before the voting process started.
Later speaking to the media, Bandi Sanjay said that the BJP had achieved its long-cherished goal of bagging the Karimnagar mayor post. “The other parties worked hand in glove in an attempt to prevent the BJP from winning these two posts. But their efforts proved futile. This is a victory for dharma,” he said.
After the election, saffron party activists took out a massive rally from the MCK to Clock Tower circle, raising ‘Vande Mataram’ and other slogans.
Former mayor and BRS leader S Ravinder Singh said that the pink party stayed away from voting as both sides had near-equal strength. AIMIM district president Syed Gulam Ahmed, however, alleged that the BRS indirectly helped the BJP by abstaining from voting.
