GHMC election: TRS wins posts of mayor, deputy mayor in Hyderabad civic polls with AIMIM's support

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS in Telangana on Thursday bagged the mayor and deputy mayor posts in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) with the support of ex-officio members and the AIMIM. Vijayalaxmi R Gadwal and Mothe Srilatha, both belonging to TRS, were elected as the mayor and deputy mayor respectively, by show of hands, during a special meeting of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The TRS did not get a majority on its own and secured only 56 wards in the 150-member GHMC in the civic elections held in December 2020. The BJP also contested the mayor and deputy mayor election even though it lacked the numbers, but the TRS nominees won as the ex-officio members and the AIMIM backed them. Though BJP won 48 wards in the election, its strength came down to 47 following the death of one of its victorious candidates. The saffron party had said it decided to contest for the mayor and deputy mayor posts, despite lacking the numbers, in the spirit of democracy and to oppose the “opportunistic” attempt of TRS to win the poll through a “backhand deal” with AIMIM. Though the keenly-fought GHMC elections were held in December, the election of mayor and deputy mayor was conducted on Thursday as the term of the previous body came to an end only on 10 February. The proceedings of the special meeting began on Thursday with the newly-elected Corporators taking the oath of office. While the TRS and BJP won 56 and 48 wards respectively in the GHMC polls, the AIMIM bagged 44 wards. Congress could win only two wards. The BJP gave the TRS a run for its money in the GHMC polls by organising a powerful campaign in which its top leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath participated. The Lok Sabha MPs and MLAs, who have their vote in the city are ex-officio members of the corporation. Besides, MLCs and Rajya Sabha members, who have their vote in the city, had to give an option, choosing the GHMC, to be able to vote, official sources said earlier. According to GHMC sources, there were 44 ex-officio member votes in the GHMC and TRS has 32 followed by MIM 10, BJP 2 who are eligible to vote taking the total number of votes to 194. Meanwhile, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged that the “unholy alliance” between the TRS and AIMIM “stood exposed” (with the AIMIM supporting the ruling party in the mayor election). “What BJP said during the GHMC poll campaign about the two parties came true,” he claimed. Vijayalaxmi R Gadwal is the daughter of TRS Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao who had also served as state Congress president before joining TRS. According to TRS sources, Vijayalaxmi did BA and LLB. She lived in the US for several years and returned to India in 2007. While in the US, she worked as a research assistant in Duke University, North Carolina. She won from Banjara Hills ward in 2016 and again in December, 2020. Mothe Srilatha is TRS Corporator from Tarnaka ward.