Telangana: Congress getting ready for election to Mayor, chairpersons posts

Hyderabad: The Congress is getting ready to face the situation after the counting of votes of the municipal elections on January 25 and taking steps to see that its councillors do not cross the fence.

PCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy has held discussions with the DCC presidents on the post counting scenario at Gandhi Bhavan here on Thursday. He has given specific instructions to the DCC presidents.

The DCC presidents have been given authority of issuing whip to the councillors to see that they vote for the election of Congress candidate for the municipal chairperson and the mayor posts.

They have been asked to appoint strong agents at the counting centres so that the ruling party does not manipulate the results. Party leaders have been told to hold camps with the winner candidates of the Congress.

It is also decided to support a non-TRS candidate where the Congress do not have winner in the municipalities and corporations which have been reserved.

For example, in a municipality which is reserved to BCs, the Congress would support a BC councillor, if it does not have a BC councillor of non TRS councillor to contest for the municipal chairperson post.

However, party would be ready to support the TRS councillors to contest for the chairperson and mayor posts if they are denied then the opportunity by the ruling party in the reserved ULBs.

Party leaders said that the Congress has put up a good performance in the municipal polls and hoping to secure few municipalities and corporations. The party is depending on the division of votes between the TRS rebels in several municipalities.

Congress leaders are ready to take rebels of TRS and independents, who win the elections into the party to secure municipalities and corporations.

The DCC presidents have been told to watch the situation closely and to decide a good strategy to secure ULBs. The Congress has already taken affidavits from the candidates that they would continue in the Congress after they win and would not defect to the ruling and other parties.

MLAs, MPs, contested candidates for the Assembly and Parliament seats would reach the municipalities and corporations wherever there are favourable results.

They would ensure that the ruling party does not snatch away the ULBs where Congress has got the majority. PCC leaders, who have been appointed as coordinators of municipalities and corporations would also be pressed into service during the election of the chairpersons and mayors.