Karimnagar: Jammikunta municipal no-trust motion snowballing into controversy

A no-trust motion notice issued against the Jammikunta municipal chairman Thakkallapalli Rajeshwar Rao is snowballing into controversy with both the chairman and opponent groups attacking each other

Karimnagar: A no-trust motion notice issued against the Jammikunta municipal chairman Thakkallapalli Rajeshwar Rao is snowballing into controversy with both the chairman and opponent groups attacking each other on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Trouble in Jammikunta municipality began with the issuing of no-trust motion notice against chairman Rajeshwar Rao. 20 councilors including 18 BRS and two Congress councillors handed over the notice to Karimnagar RDO Pavan Kumar on December 29.

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23rd ward councilor Ponaganti Mallaiah, who led the rebel group, had started the issue of no-trust motion. After failing to get the BRS ticket for Huzurabad, Mallaiah had joined the Congress in the presence of TPCC President A Revanth Reddy during the time of assembly elections.

Within 24 hours, another group led by Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy met Collector Pamela Satpathy and requested her not to consider the no-trust motion notice served by Mallaiah’s group since a majority of the councilors were supporting the chairman.

They also handed over a resolution copy signed by 23 councilors extending their support to Rajeshwar Rao.

Later, both the groups shifted their supporters to camps in Rangareddy district on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Though it is not clear how many councilors are with the individual groups, each group reportedly has 15 councilors. Moreover, both the groups are trying to lure councilors from the opponent camp.

As some of the councilors agreed to join him, the chairman along with vice-chairman and few others went to a farm house in Kothur mandal of Shamshabad on Wednesday.

While they were talking with the councilors, others from the opponent group are said to have argued with them. The argument turned serious and members of both the groups allegedly attacked each other.

Police reached the spot and pacified both sides. MLA Kaushik Reddy also visited the spot and condemned the attack.

On the other hand, officials are unable to take a decision since 20 councilors signed in favor of the no-trust notice while 23 signed against it. According to the municipal act, a special meeting should be conducted within 25 to 30 days after issuing of the notice.
Out of 30 wards in Jammikunta municpality, BRS won 22, Congress 3 and five independents in municipal elections held in 2019.