HYDERABAD: BJP’s high-octane campaign helped it pull off a stunning show in the
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections on Friday, finishing second with its tally jumping from just four wards in 2016 to 48 this time. The number is seven short of the TRS’s tally of 55 (down from 99) in the 150-member body.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM held on to its 2016 tally of 44. The result of one ward has been held back because of a case in the HC. BJP has effectively dethroned Congress as the main opposition in
Telangana and is set to emerge as main challenger to TRS in the 2023 assembly polls.
TRS won’t be able to elect mayor on its own strengthThough TRS emerged as the single largest party, its numbers would not be enough to elect a mayor and deputy mayor on its own strength. It needed at least 67 divisions to have its own mayor without the support of any other party, as it already has 31 ex-officio votes made up of its MPs,
MLAs
and MLCs.
Given the hung house, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM has emerged as the kingmaker with 44 wards and 10 ex-officio members. His party continued to hold sway in the Old City as it held on to its 2016 tally of 44. BJP’s decision to campaign with national leaders worked for the party while anti-incumbency and resentment among flood-affected families due to alleged discrepancies in relief distribution were among the factors which hurt TRS. BJP won
many seats
with slim margins.
Interestingly, the grand show has come just a week before the TRS government is set to complete two years in office in its second term. BJP has not only made inroads into TRS areas by winning 48 wards of the 149 results declared, it has also substantially increased its vote share by eating into the vote share of both TRS and Congress. TRS had won 99 wards in 2016.
The GHMC region is crucial for all parties as it has 25 assembly segments and four Lok Sabha seats. Karimnagar MP and state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay, the hero of BJP’s show, thanked voters and claimed the downfall of TRS had started. “Development is our mantra and people are rearing to dislodge TRS,” he said. Union home minister Amit Shah in a tweet in Telugu congratulated Sanjay and BJP chief J P Nadda for the party’s good show.
The worst sufferer in the polls is Congress which failed to improve its performance since the last polls. It had won two seats in 2016 and managed to win two this time.
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