Hyderabad, February 16: In a surprising turn of events ahead of the mayoral elections for Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, five councillors officially joined the ruling Congress party on Sunday.
Among them were two councillors from the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and three independent councillors, who made the switch in the presence of state ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D. Sridhar Babu.
One of the AIFB councillors, Sai Jyoti, who had joined the BJP just days earlier, also switched allegiance to Congress on Sunday.
This development poses a setback for the BJP’s efforts to gain control of the Karimnagar Corporation. The elections for the mayor and deputy mayor are scheduled for Monday.
In the 66-member Karimnagar Corporation, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 30 seats. The Congress secured 14 seats, while the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) obtained 9 seats. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 3 seats, along with 10 independents.
To win the mayoral position, a party needs 34 votes, including those from ex-officio members. Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who represents Karimnagar in Parliament, had previously brought four independents into the BJP, raising their count to 34. Sanjay is also eligible to cast his vote as an ex-officio member.
On Sunday, Congress intensified its efforts to secure the mayoral seat by bringing an independent councillor who had joined the BJP into their fold.
With support from AIMIM and a request for backing from the main opposition party BRS, Congress’s total stands at 26. The addition of the five independents raises their number to 31, and with the ex-officio votes from the MLAs of Karimnagar and Manakondur, it increases to 33.
Congress needs one more councillor to surpass the majority mark and is actively seeking support from independents.
The ruling party has relocated its councillors and independents to a hotel in Hyderabad for strategic discussions. Meanwhile, the BJP, which emerged as the largest party in Nizamabad Municipal Corporation by winning 28 out of 60 divisions, is struggling to reach the critical number of 31.
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