Karimnagar politics boil over in contest for Mayor’s chair

The contest for the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation Mayor’s post has turned into a high-stakes battle between the BJP and Congress. Despite the BJP initially securing the required majority with independents and AIFB support, Congress reshaped the scenario by drawing defections.

Karimnagar: The political atmosphere in Karimnagar has heated up sharply following aggressive strategies by political parties to capture the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Though the BJP had prepared the ground to capture the KMC, the ruling Congress party altered the political scenario within a day. The 15th division All India Forward Bloc corporator Sai Jyothi, who joined the BJP on Friday, shifted her loyalty to the Congress on Sunday, defying the whip issued by the party leadership. Besides her, another AIFB corporator and three independents joined the ruling party.

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Out of the total 66 divisions, the BJP won 30, followed by Congress with 14, BRS with 9, Independents with 10 and MIM with 3. A minimum of 34 corporators is required to secure the Mayor’s post. In its efforts to secure the Mayor’s post, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar brought three independents and an All India Forward Bloc corporator into the BJP fold.

With this, the BJP’s strength rose to 34 and will increase to 35 with Sanjay Kumar’s ex-officio vote. Following this strategy, the Union Minister shifted his corporators to a camp. However, the ruling Congress party, unwilling to concede the Karimnagar Corporation, reshaped the contest by seeking support from the BRS and MIM.

The combined strength of the three parties stands at 26. The ruling party, which had already secured the support of five independents, shifted Congress corporators and independents to a camp at a resort in Hyderabad. On Sunday, they were shifted to a hotel in the city.

With the addition of five independents, the strength rises to 31 and further increases to 33 with the ex-officio votes of Karimnagar and Manakondur MLAs. The Congress needs one more corporator to cross the majority mark and has intensified efforts to secure additional support from independents.

In a dramatic development, the 15th division AIFB corporator Sai Jyothi left her residence on Sunday after releasing a video message stating that she would exercise her vote according to her wish.

She later appeared in the Congress camp in the evening. Meanwhile, AIFB leaders pasted a copy of the whip at her residence in Karimnagar town after she refused to accept the notice. She warned that she would approach the police if anyone created a nuisance at her residence.

Meanwhile, another AIFB corporator and three independents joined the ruling party in the presence of Ministers D Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar.

With these developments, the BJP’s strength has come down to 34, while Congress and its allies have reached 33. The final outcome of the Mayor’s post will be known shortly.