The BJP바카라™s stunning ten-fold growth in Hyderabad바카라™s municipal polls sets off a counter-alignment on the other side, with TRS and AIMIM teaming up? What바카라™s the deal, ask saffronites.
When senior BJP leader and former parliamentarian G. Vivek Venkataswamy said, 바카라śMeeru chesthe samsaram, memu cheste vebhicharama?바카라ť, he didn바카라™t just mean, 바카라śIf you do it, it바카라™s justified and if we do then it바카라™s wrong바카라¦바카라ť His words바카라”almost a replay of over-the-top dialogues in Telugu films바카라”gave context to the party바카라™s spectacular show in the high-stakes polls to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
Last week, the saffron party caused a stunning upset by winning 48 out of 150 wards in GHMC바카라”a spectacular turnaround from its 2016 tally of four. Though the ruling TRS managed to emerge as the single-largest party with 55 wards, it fell short of the required 75 needed to retain the post of mayor.
As talk of a truck between the TRS and Asaduddin Owaisi바카라™s AIMIM바카라”which won 44 wards바카라”swirled in the post-poll haze, the BJP alleged that chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and the minority leader has already arrived at an understanding over a dinner meet, where they had the famed Hyderabad biriyani.
Union minister for state for home G. Kishen Reddy바카라™s claim has some logic as that바카라™s what exactly happened in Nizamabad where the BJP had won 28 seats in the municipal polls and emerged as the single-largest party last year. Yet, it was denied the top post with the TRS (which had won 16) and AIMIM (with 13) joining hands to elect their choice of mayor. The CM바카라™s daughter Kavitha had suffered a humiliating defeat in Nizamabad at the hands of the BJP candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. 바카라śWhere is the doubt? TRS will repeat the same even in the GHMC,바카라ť Reddy said.
For the AIMIM, a tacit understanding with the TRS will be handy in keeping the BJP out, provided it gets a fair deal. So, if AIMIM is to support TRS in the mayoral polls, Outlook has learnt, Owaisi wants KCR to give legal sanctity to the revenue-rich Wakf Board, besides allowing Shariat law in matters of Muslims.
And therein lies the context for the BJP바카라™s leader바카라™s dialogue when Venkataswamy was asked about the AIMIM바카라™s allegations that the saffron party바카라”which had seen its big guns led by Union home minister Amit Shah campaign in Hyderabad바카라”had indulged in the politics of polarisation in their pre-poll speeches. The BJP leader pointed out that the AIMIM바카라™s brand of politics is built solely around Muslim identity. 바카라śPeople are not fools to believe the so-called public postures of both these parties,바카라ť he said. 바카라śWe have arrived in Telangana and our victory in the 2023 polls is unstoppable바카라¦.Both (TRS and AIMIM) are feathers of same bird and they chose to flock together whenever required.바카라ť
Though the TRS has time till January-end for the GHMC mayoral polls, KCR may want to complete the exercise quickly given the fact that the party has to draw up a strategy for the upcoming by-elections for the Nagarjunsagar seat and polls for two more civic bodies, Khammam and Warangal. More so given the fact that the Hyderabad results have already started to attract star leaders to the BJP.
On December 7, actor-turned politician Vijayashanti dumped the Congress and returned to the BJP. The 54-year-old actor had started her political career with the BJP in 1997 but later joined TRS before turning to the Congress in 2014. Just for the record, the Congress won just two seats in GHMC, a big fall for a party which was once the dominant force in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh.
By M.S. Shanker in Hyderabad