Ex-Hyderabad Mayor Karthika Reddy of Congress joins BJP ahead of GHMC polls

As the BJP has shifted its focus to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections due in December after its victory in Dubbak bypoll, Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) has given a call for an anti-BJP front. However, in a big boost to the saffron party, former Mayor from Congress - Banda Karthika Reddy - on Thursday joined the BJP in the presence of party’s election in-charge Bhupender Yadav, MoS Home G Kishan Reddy and BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Speaking at a press conference, Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar said that the upcoming municipal polls are 'a fight between patriots and traitors'. Highlighting that the BJP has stood for the Hindus which accounts for 80% of the population of the state, Kumar said, "The BJP will not tolerate if somebody creates problems for Hindus. The Chief Minister, who claims to be a Hindu, had an alliance with the AIMIM party, which kills Gau mata."

READ | After Bihar victory, BJP sends Bhupender Yadav to script Hyderabad Municipal polls success

The BJP has released its first list of candidates for the polls while the TRS has named senior leaders of the party as poll-in-charges. TRS working president KT Rama Rao is heading the Hydernagar division, Finance Minister T Harish Rao is leading the Bharathi Nagar division, Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy is leading the Saroornagar division. Meanwhile, the AIMIM finalised 20 candidates for the first list, reports said. 

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. Interestingly, the GHMC election will be held via ballots and not EVMs.

READ | BJP Responds As KCR Invites Anti-BJP Parties For Meeting; Reminds Him Of Its Track Record

BJP's plan for Hyderabad

The saffron party is eyeing an expansion down south - starting with the 2021 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. While in Tamil Nadu, BJP is in alliance with the AIADMK and its main aim is to improve its own performance by making inroads in the state that is suffering a vacuum due to the demise of Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, it has shifted gears towards Telangana after the increased vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and victory in recently concluded bypoll for Dubbak assembly seat. BJP's national general secretary Bhupender Yadav, who steered the NDA victory in Bihar, has now been sent to Hyderabad to focus on the Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. Other leaders in the team are Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar, Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar, Gujarat leader Pradeep Singh Waghela, and Karnataka MLA Satish Reddy.

READ | KCR Eyes Mega Anti-BJP Front: Pawar, Stalin, HDK, Mamata & Others Invited For Meeting

Anti-BJP front?

In a big political development, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao has called a meeting of non-BJP leaders and parties in December. Sources said that an invitation for the closed-door meeting has been sent to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee, JDS chief Kumaraswamy, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prakash Singh Badal, BJD's Naveen Patnaik and DMK's Stalin. Sources said that many other political parties can take part in the proposed meeting and the leaders are set to discuss a strategy to form an anti-BJP platform. It is unclear if Congress has been called. While a leadership crisis is haunting the Congress once again with its allies blaming the grand-old party for poor performance, the BJP has also lost its allies - SAD and Shiv Sena - in the recent past. 

READ | AIADMK Fires Warning To BJP Over 'Vetrivel Yatra' Ahead Of Amit Shah's Tamil Nadu Visit