BJP's GHMC poll manifesto out: Free metro for women, tabs for children, 25k flood relief

For the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, the BJP on Thursday launched its manifesto and promised free metro rides for women and scrapping of the Layout Regularisation Scheme, among other things. While the saffron party had stoked controversy by promising free vaccine in the Bihar poll manifesto, in Telangana, BJP has promised that corona vaccine will be given to all as per Central government's guidelines, i.e. not necessarily free. 

BJP has also promised Rs 25,000 each to flood-affected families, free tablets to all children of poor families, waiver of property tax in all SC colonies, financial assistance to build one lakh houses under PM Awas Yojana, free drinking water supply to all houses, enactment of Sumedha Act to remove illegal encroachments, free power to all houses using less than 100 units.

Flood and illegal encroachments are one of the big talking points for TRS, AIMIM, and BJP in the campaign of GHMC polls, apart from the blatant communal remarks by leaders of these parties. 

Campaign for GHMC polls

The poll campaign for the GHMC polls has gone completely communal with TRS, BJP and AIMIM issuing sharp remarks on each other. Emboldened by their victory in Dubbak by-polls and increased vote percentage in the Lok Sabha polls 2019, BJP has appointed a poll team headed by its national general secretary Bhupender Yadav and will be sending its big guns including Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda. 

While BJP alleges that AIMIM has sheltered "Rohingyas, Pakistanis" in Hyderabad and have been winning the polls due to their votes, Owaisi has hit back at Centre accusing them of spreading hate in name of religion. BJP has also claimed that TRS and Congress have a closed-door understanding with Owaisi and a vote to any of them is a vote against the country, Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao's party has dismissed the claims and said that they do not owe an explanation to the saffron party. BJP has also asserted that if voted to power, they will rename Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar and has drawn flak from both AIMIM and TRS. 

READ | GHMC elections: BJP & TRS drag each other to EC; allege derogatory jibes against PM & KCR

BJP's GHMC Poll Manifesto by Republic World on Scribd

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Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections

The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) announced that 150 GHMC divisions will go to polls on December 1 and the counting of votes will be done on December 4. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the polling time has been extended by one hour, i.e., from 7 am to 6 pm. The current term of the GHMC council ends in February 2021 and in the 2016 elections, AIMIM won 44 seats, TRS won 99. BJP won 4 seats, Congress won 2 and TDP won one seat.

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