Hyderabad: The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi is facing a saffron roadblock in its endeavour to wrest the 150-member municipal body in Hyderabad. The TRS emerged as the single largest party in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections winning 55 seats, but it was the BJP that showed a remarkable performance by winning 48 seats.
The strong performance by BJP came on the heels of its victory last month in Dubbak assembly seat. The party had wrested the seat from the ruling TRS.
The GHMC results have been declared on 149 of 150 seats with result in Neredmet division held.
Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM won 44 seats and Congress two seats.
BJP leaders hailed the party’s strong performance in the elections.
Party chief J.P. Nadda said the “historic result” for BJP in Hyderabad GHMC elections shows people’s unequivocal support towards PM Narendra Modi’s development and governance model.
The newly elected corporators and 52 ex-officio members elect the Mayor. Since TRS has majority ex-officio members, it required 65 corporators to have its Mayor. The party may now have to negotiate power sharing agreement with the AIMIM if the latter doesn’t extend unconditional support. In 2009, when GHMC polls had thrown a similar verdict, the Congress had shared power with the MIM, leaving the post of Mayor to MIM for two years.
The post of Mayor this time has been reserved for woman.
The results have come as a huge shock to the TRS, which had bagged 99 seats in the 2016 polls. The BJP, which had secured only four seats in the previous elections, saw a big jump in its numbers to emerge as the second largest party, a position which MIM was enjoying.
The saffron party made big gains as it fought the polls this time with all the might at its disposal with top Central leaders and Union ministers campaigning for its candidates.
The police in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda have imposed a ban on victory rallies for the next 48 hours. Out of the total 74.67 lakh voters, 46.55 per cent had cast their votes in 149 divisions on Tuesday. There were 1,925 postal ballots.
Polling in one division was stopped due to discrepancy in ballot paper and re-poll was held on Thursday.
Union ministers Amit Shah, Prakash Javadekar and Smriti Irani, BJP president Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned for the BJP.
The campaign saw no holds barred attack by political opponents, while remarks by some leaders created controversies. The promise by the BJP leaders to change the name of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar if the party is voted to power also sparked a row.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS