Cong-led civic body hanging by a thread

Rangareddy: The political situation in one of the fastest-developing Manikonda municipalities under Rangareddy district is gradually evolving into a scenario full of a lack of confidence between the chairman and the councillors and, more surprisingly, not moving well with the Congress leadership in Rajendra Nagar constituency.

Although the Chairman of Manikonda Municipality, Kasturi Narendar, sustained a political assault of ‘No-confidence Motion’ against him recently, he is still falling short of sufficient support in the council, which is brewing trouble for his political career.

After tasting a bitter defeat in the recently held Assembly elections, Kasturi heaved a sigh of relief for the moment last week when the no-confidence motion against him went in vain simply because the opposition fell short of the support of one member to dislodge him from the post of chairman.

It goes without saying that almost 12 out of a total of 20 members of the council moved a no-confidence motion against Kasturi in January.

However, after a week-long political drama, the meeting convened by the Rangareddy Collector on February 22 allowed the opposition to prove their claim. The meeting witnessed the presence of the 10 members, along with the support of another two. But they are still short of one more member to reach the exact number of 13 members needed to validate the move. This ultimately fails to prove the majority and helps the chairman stand the test.

The rule stipulates a two-thirds vote of the council members to move a no confidence motion against the chairman, which comes to nearly 13 votes. A group of 12 members signed a letter and placed it before the collector, seeking a motion, hoping that one more member may soon join them to hit the last nail in the coffin.

It is learned that the worried chairman, who tasted a defeat in recently held elections on a Congress ticket, moved all eight of his supporting councillors to Goa for a few days to avoid poaching, thereby saving at least his chairman seat. All eight councillors that were found absent from the council meeting came into full public view only after the floor test.

The opposition team reportedly relocated to a different site in Goa to prevent any unethical negotiations, ensuring the success of the motion to remove Kasturi from the chairman's position.

Although Kasturi Narender managed to secure his position, he too was stripped of ample support in the council to survive with merely eight members on his side in the 20-member council. With less support in the council, troubled times are still waiting ahead for the chairman, who contested as a Congress candidate in the recently held General Elections but tasted defeat.

“Unhappy with Kasturi’s style of functioning, which includes a lack of leadership abilities, most of the councillors, regardless of party affiliation, have raised their hackles against him,” revealed a senior Congress leader from Rajendra Nagar.

Being chairman, he further said, “Kasturi focused on expanding influence within the party and, on premise, secured a Congress ticket. However, he fails to admire people beyond Manikonda who could help the party gain support for Congress from outside. This is said to be one of the reasons behind Kasturi’s bitter defeat in the recently held elections, wherein he contested on a Congress ticket and secured third place after BRS and the BJP.”

Now, with the growing dissent among the party leaders and the fewer support of eight councillors as against the total of 20 members’ council, the chairman has to walk a fine line to continue in the office.