Published 16:21 IST, December 4th 2020
With TRS leading, Telangana Minister questions BJP leadership's involvement in GHMC polls
Telangana Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Friday exuded confidence in his party TRS winning the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election.
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Telangana Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Friday exuded confidence in TRS winning the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election. Even as the counting of votes is underway currently, trends are showing a comfortable lead for the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led party. Yadav argued that the national BJP leadership should not have spent so much time in the GHMC poll campaign.
According to him, it would have been better for BJP to concentrate on the farmers' protests in the national capital instead. Moreover, the Telangana Minister contended that the JP Nadda-led party did not elaborate on the Union government's contribution to the development of Hyderabad. In the first election held after the formation of Telangana in 2016, TRS secured a comfortable majority with 99 wins with AIMIM coming a distant second amid its candidates emerging victorious in 44 wards.
They did not mention anything about what the Centre has done for the development of Hyderabad. The TRS will form the government in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections this time by 100%: Telangana Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav https://t.co/GZ5qKsX77m
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2020
BJP's high-profile campaign
The election to 150 divisions of the GHMC was 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. The polls were conducted using paper ballots instead of EVMs. Furthermore, the polling time was extended by an hour, i.e from 7 am to 6 pm owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a departure from its usual low profile in Hyderabad, BJP went all guns blazing in the GHMC poll campaign. This came in the wake of the party's victory in 4 Telangana Lok Sabha seats and the Dubbak Assembly constituency. Post the NDA's success in Bihar, BJP named its General Secretary Bhupender Yadav as its in-charge of the GHMC polls. Additionally, key BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president J P Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, MoS (Home) G Kishan Reddy and BJYM national president Tejaswi Surya played a crucial role in the election campaign.
BJP highlighted the alleged misgovernance of the ruling TRS-AIMIM, citing their mismanagement of the situation arising out of the recent floods in Hyderabad for instance. Divisive issues such as action against illegal Rohingyas and the proposed renaming of Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar also cropped up during the campaign. Furthermore, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that there is a secret pact between AIMIM and TRS.
Updated 16:21 IST, December 4th 2020