‘Strategic’ TRS pips BJP to Mayor post

The strategy of the TRS paved the way for securing the mayor’s post in Nizamabad Municipal Corporation where it had landed up third.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 28 corporators, but failed to get the magic figure for the post. It contested for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts on Monday, but failed to get the majority and has to sit in the opposition.

The MIM won 16 seats and emerged as the second largest party. Its corporators supported the TRS to get the top post and was rewarded with the Deputy Mayor’s post.

The TRS had won only 13 of 60 seats in the Corporation, but managed to have Mr Dandu Neethu Kiran elected as Mayor, thanks to the support of the MIM.

The BJP leadership suspected that TRS would allot the post to the MIM, as it was the larger party, as part of statewide sharing of power in urban local bodies. There was a war of words between Nizamabad MP D. Arvind (BJP) and Nizamabad Urban MLA Bigala Ganesh Gupta (TRS). Mr Gupta had sworn in the name of temples in Nizamabad that the TRS would not allot the Mayor’s post to the MIM.

MIM’s Mohammad Idris Khan has been elected Deputy Mayor. Surprisingly, one independent and two Congress corporators, six TRS MLAs and MLCs took part in the election as ex-officio members.

Minister for legislative affairs V. Prashanth Reddy said that being a secular party, the TRS had won the support of the Congress and independents for the top two posts.

THE BJP leadership suspected that TRS would allot the post to the MIM. There was a war of words between Nizamabad MP D. Arvind (BJP) and Nizamabad Urban MLA Bigala Ganesh Gupta (TRS). Mr Gupta had sworn in the name of temples in Nizamabad that the TRS would not allot the Mayor's post to the MIM