Congress, BRS gear up for crucial civic polls

Elections for chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in three Telangana municipalities are set to witness a high-stakes contest between Congress and BRS, following legal hurdles and political tensions, with both parties mobilising leadership in a prestige battle.

Hyderabad: A high-stakes political contest is set to unfold on Saturday as elections for Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons in three municipalities including Ibrahimpatnam, Kyathanpally, and Khanapur, are held following weeks of legal battles and political manoeuvring. With both the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS mobilising top leadership, the contest assumed significance, emerging as a prestige battle.

Despite the BRS winning majority seats in all three municipalities, the ruling Congress allegedly used all tricks including alleged attack on the BRS councillors, intimidation and also enticements, to turn the election in its favour. The State Election Commission postponed the elections amid disruptions, allegations of interference, and lack of quorum.

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In Ibrahimpatnam, legal intervention halted proceedings despite BRS claiming majority. In Kyathanapally, clashes and arrests disrupted the process, while in Khanapur, repeated adjournments due to lack of quorum reflected a fractured mandate.

However, following the High Court orders, the SEC has scheduled the oath-taking of the councillors at 11 AM. on Saturday, followed by the elections at 12:30 PM.

The BRS has deployed senior leaders, including former Ministers P Sabitha Indra Reddy, Koppula Eshwar, Jogu Ramanna, Gangula Kamalakar and four MLAs, as observers to ensure consolidation of its numbers and secure the top posts. The party is banking on its numerical advantage in Ibrahimpatnam and Kyathanapally, where it claims majority support.

On the other hand, the Congress has gone into overdrive, with TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud along with Ministers G Vivek Venkatswamy and Jupally Krishna Rao rallying cadres in Mancherial on Friday. They held a key meeting to mobilise forces for the elections.

With both sides viewing the outcome as a test of political strength, the elections for top posts in these municipalities are expected to be closely contested. If all goes well, the officials said, the results will be announced by 2 PM.