HYDERABAD: The battle for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections is poised for some interesting times as the present term of the Corporation comes to an end this December. Heady with the landslide victory in the recent general elections, a confident K. Chandrasekhar Rao is upping Telengana Rastriya Samiti’s (TRS) ante and raising their pitch to create ground for political influence in this crucial battle of Hyderabad.
The Chief Minister’s first step towards this direction was to befriend All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) as Muslims constitute more than 50 per cent of the population in Hyderabad and the TRS supremo is leaving no stones unturned to woo them.
The encouraging win in the Assembly elections and improvement in TRS’ performance in GHMC limits are buoying up the hopes of the TRS cadres and the leaders are poaching MLAs from other parties to further shore up prospects. For instance, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) GHMC unit President Talasani Srinivasa Yadav met KCR twice and speculation is rife that he would soon be joining the pink panthers. It is believed that he has been promised a berth in the cabinet in return for influencing Yadav voters, quite significant in number, in favour of TRS. KCR is also beckoning former mayor and present MLA of TDP Teegala Krishna Reddy as well.
At the lower lever, poaching is going on and the brief for the leaders is to go for those who lost the assembly elections. KCR is reported to have told them to attract anyone who can influence even 10 voters by promising them better recognition in TRS. “This time our TRS flag should fly high on GHMC. We are working towards that end,” said Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy.
By winning the election, TRS would further strengthen its grip on the entire state as the party, for more than a decade, was considered weak in Hyderabad. The TRS would also be able to effectively counter the argument that people in Hyderabad did not care for Telangana sentiment. According to sources in TRS if the party loses, an impression would gain ground that people in Hyderabad did not want Telangana state. This might, they fear, encourage those who are against division rise the demand for UT status for Hyderabad.
Then, victory in GHMC elections would also lend an edge to the bargaining power of the TRS with the Centre. At present the TRS is a little cool towards the BJP dispensation at the Centre for fear of incurring the wrath of Muslims who are numerically very strong in Hyderabad. In rest of Telangana too, they are in good numbers. With their support, KCR would be able to tell the Centre that he is a major force to reckon with for devolution of funds and projects for the state.
Meanwhile, TDP-BJP is also raring to capture GHMC but the main task before the party leadership is to keep the flock together in the wake of inducements from TRS. Chandrababu Naidu, after the exit of Telangana leader from Kahmmam Thummala Nageswara Rao, said, “I do not care if one or two leaders leave our party. The party has a glorious future.” The TDP and BJP together won 14 Assembly seats in the recent elections of which TDP’s tally is nine and BJP’s five.
Naidu is keen on proving KCR wrong that Telugu Desam Party has no place in Telangana. As he is eying power in Telangana in the next general elections, winning the GHMC elections would give him and his cadres the necessary moral strength. As far as the BJP is concerned, it is trying to make the most of the pro-Muslim stand KCR had taken to polarise Hindu voters in its favour.
The BJP keeps raising the issue “Nizam’s tyranny” in Hyderabad and is trying to project KCR as a partner in perpetuation of Nizam’s heritage. If the BJP-TDP wins elections, it would mean further cementing of the bond of friendship between Naidu and Narendra Modi.
As the Congress has lost MIM to the TRS, it wants to compensate the loss by snatching the Seemandhra voters from TDP’s hold by fighting on their behalf. “We will stand by Seemandhra people,” said veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh
