Hyderabad, February 16 – The Congress government in Telangana secured power in 84 out of 105 municipalities, along with six out of seven municipal corporations, where chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, mayors, and deputy mayors were elected on Monday.
Although elections were held for 116 municipalities on February 11 and the results were declared on February 13, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons could not be elected in 11 municipalities by newly elected councillors.
The principal opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), took control of 17 municipalities, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured one municipality in the state.
Independent candidates were elected as chairpersons of three municipalities.
Although Congress secured a majority in 66 municipalities, its councillors were elected as chairpersons and deputy chairpersons in another 18 municipalities with the support of other parties and independents.
Congress secured power in two municipalities with the support of the BJP in Telangana.
The BJP supported the Congress for the chairperson's post in the Narsapur municipality in the Medak district. The ruling Congress, in turn, ensured the election of a BJP councillor as the vice-chairperson.
A similar arrangement was made by the BJP and Congress in Aliyabad in the Medchal Malkajgiri district.
The BRS secured the post of chairpersons of the Amangal municipality in the Rangareddy district with the support of the BJP. The BRS backed the BJP to elect its candidate as vice-chairperson.
The elections resulted in 34 hung municipalities.
Out of the seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities, the Congress secured the posts of both mayor and deputy mayor in four municipal corporations – Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Nalgonda, and Ramagundam.
Mood Ganesh of the Communist Party of India (CPI), an ally of Congress, was elected Mayor of the Kothagudem Municipal Corporation.
S. Lalitha Kumar of the Congress was elected as the Deputy Mayor.
The two parties won 22 seats each in the 60-member corporation.
In the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, Congress's K. Uma Rani was elected Mayor with the support of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
Salma Tahseen of AIMIM was elected as the Deputy Mayor.
The ruling Congress thus succeeded in stopping the BJP, which had emerged as the single largest party.
However, the Congress could not stop the BJP from winning the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation.
The BJP, which won 30 divisions in the 66-member body, comfortably secured the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor with the support of some Independents.
In the Adilabad municipality, Independent Councillor Bandari Anusha was elected as Chairperson while Mohammad Rohith of AIMIM was elected as Vice-Chairperson.
In the 49-member civic body, BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 21 seats. Congress won 11 seats, BRS and AIMIM won six seats each. Five Independents were also elected.
Congress, BRS, AIMIM, and four Independents supported Bandari Anusha as the Chairperson.
In the Bhainsa municipality, Independents were elected as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.
Elections to the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of the Yellandu, Sultanabad, Ibrahimpatnam, Kagaznagar, Ketanapally, Khanapur, Zaheerabad, Inderesham, Dornakal, Jjangaon, and Thorrur municipalities have been postponed by the election authorities.
The meetings of the urban bodies began on Monday, with the newly-elected councillors and corporators taking oath. This was followed by the election of mayors, deputy mayors of corporations, and chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of municipalities.
The election was marred by clashes between the Congress and BRS supporters at a few places.
