Hyderabad, Feb 15 (IANS) In a dramatic twist ahead of the election of Mayor of Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, five corporators joined the ruling Congress party on Sunday.
Five independent corporators including two belonging to All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) formally joined the Congress party in the presence of state ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D. Sridhar Babu.
Sai Jyothi, one of the AIFB corporators who had joined the BJP on Friday, shifted her loyalty to the Congress on Sunday.
The development came as a setback to the BJP to capture power in Karimnagar Corporation.
The election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Corporation is scheduled on Monday.
In the 66-member Karimnagar Corporation, BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 30 seats.
The Congress party secured 14 seats and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) secured 9 seats. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) bagged three seats. Ten independents have also been elected.
A party needs 34 votes including the ex-officio members to win the post of Mayor.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is MP from Karimnagar, had brought four independents to the BJP fold.
This had increased BJP’s strength to 34. Bandi Sanjay is also eligible to cast his vote as ex-officio member.
The Congress stepped up its efforts to win Mayor’s seat on Sunday by luring one of the independents who had joined BJP to its camp.
The Congress has the support of AIMIM and it has also sought support of main opposition BRS. The combined strength of the three parties stands at 26.
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 it is making all efforts to secure support from independents.
The ruling party shifted its corporators and independents to a hotel in Hyderabad.
Though BJP has also emerged as single largest party in Nizamabad Municipal Corporation by winning 28 of the total 60 divisions, the party is struggling to reach the magic figure of 31.
The Congress party, which won 17 divisions, has the support of AIMIM, which secured 14 divisions. The lone corporator of BRS has also decided to join the Congress.
Meanwhile, hectic activity is on by both Congress and BRS to capture power in 34 hung municipalities.
Election of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in these municipalities is scheduled on Monday.
Both the major parties are trying to garner support of independents to capture the urban bodies.
Elections to 116 municipalities and seven corporations were held on February 11 and the results were announced on February 13.
The Congress party secured majority in 66 municipalities and four corporations. In Kothagudem corporation, Congress and CPI are likely to share the power.
The ruling party also emerged as single largest party in 18 other municipalities.
The BRS won 13 municipalities and emerged as single largest party in 19 municipalities.
–IANS
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