KCR directs police to act against 'communal forces', smells conspiracy to delay GHMC polls

Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday instructed police to take stern action against "anarchic forces" attempting to incite communal tensions in the State. This assumes significance amid the ongoing high-octane election campaign for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls. On Tuesday, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar received backlash after he threatened that BJP will do a 'surgical strike' in old Hyderabad, implying that adverse action shall be taken against purported Pakistani, Afghan and Rohingya voters. 

Mentioning that the state government has definite information about "anarchic elements", Rao declared that the police had been given a free hand to the police to deal with them. Chairing a high-level meeting to review the law and order situation, the CM stressed that any attempts to disturb peace and harmony shall be dealt with an iron hand. Taking a veiled dig at BJP, he accused some leaders of delivering provocative speeches, spreading false propaganda and whipping up communal passions to get political mileage during the GHMC polls.

According to him, some forces wanted to manufacture riots in Hyderabad to ensure that the GHMC elections are postponed. Maintaining that people have extended unflinching support to the state government's tough measures against anti-social elements, the TRS supremo said that it was the duty of the administration to keep the residents safe. Besides asking the police to act against forces fanning communal tensions, he urged the people to be cautious and requested all political parties to fight the polls transparently. 

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The GHMC election

The election to 150 divisions of the GHMC is being conducted in the exercise of powers conferred by Articles 243-K and 243-ZA of the Constitution read with Sections 7(1), 9, 10 and 24 of the GHMC Act, 1955. In the 2016 elections, TRS secured a comfortable majority with 99 wins with AIMIM coming a distant second amid its candidates emerging victorious in 44 seats. The polls for the new term of the GHMC will be held on December 1 followed by the counting of votes on December 4. 

The Telangana State Election Commission stated that the election will be conducted using paper ballots instead of EVMs. Moreover, the polling time has been extended by an hour, i.e from 7 am to 6 pm owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buoyed by its success in the Dubbak Assembly by-election, BJP is looking to make further inroads in an election where allies TRS and AIMIM are fighting separately. 

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