Congress, CPI agree to split Kothagudem Mayor term equally for five years

Congress and CPI have reportedly agreed to share the mayor and deputy mayor posts in Kothagudem Municipal Corporation for five years, following a hung verdict where both parties won 22 divisions each.

Kothagudem: CPI and Congress have reportedly agreed to continue their alliance and to share Kothagudem Municipal Corporation mayor and deputy mayor seats for an equal period over the next five years.

The decision was said to have been taken after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, TPCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud held a meeting with CPI leader Palla Venkat Reddy in Hyderabad.

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The Congress corporators who were shifted to a camp were sent back to their homes after the meeting. But no official statement was released by the parties on their decision. The mayoral election was scheduled on February 16.

It may be noted that Congress and CPI, who contested separately in the corporation elections despite their pre-poll alliance they had in Assembly elections, failed to secure a clear majority and got 22 divisions each leading to hung council.

In view of that it has become essential for both the parties to join hands to win the mayoral election. The BRS working president KT Rama Rao offered to support the CPI in the mayoral election as the party won in eight divisions, but the CPI preferred to go with the Congress.

The BRS working president Rama Rao speaking to the media in Hyderabad stated that the party decided to support the CPI to protect the SCCL as the Congress and BJP colluded to loot the company.

He suspected that the CPI, which has its affiliated trade union AITUC as SCCL’s recognised union, might have come under pressure to join hands with the Congress. The BRS would continue its fight to protect SCCL and its workers’ interests, he added.

Meanwhile, the Congress continued its poaching of elected corporators as five elected independent corporators joined the party in the presence of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy in Khammam on Sunday.

On the other hand, eight BRS elected corporators issued a statement refuting the allegations that two of their corporators got in touch with the Congress. They asserted that they would follow the decisions of the party high command.