Hyderabad civic polls: TRS likely to contest all seats, may face-off against AIMIM too

Hyderabad: If insiders are to be believed, then the upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls may witness a not-so-friendly contest between the All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The TRS, which is likely to contest all 150 wards in the GHMC area is also expected to release its list of nominations on November 19.

The TRS had also contested in the Old City’s seven assembly constituencies that are held by the AIMIM in the 2018 state elections (total 119 seats), but that is something analysts believe is a strategic move by both parties to cut down the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party’s vote share with regard to non-Muslim votes.

However, TRS sources said that some leaders in the party are a little wary of the AIMIM after its performance in the just concluded Bihar state elections, wherein the latter won five seats out of the 20 it contested in (total 243). While it is uncertain if the TRS will seriously contest against the AIMIM, but this will be clear if its candidates in the Old City’s wards are Muslims.

In the previous GHMC elections, the TRS won 99 wards out of 150. Its “friendly partner”, the AIMIM, had won 44 seats (in the Old City areas). Together, both essentially decimated the rest of the opposition parties like the Congress, BJP, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which once had a stronghold in Hyderabad. The TDP has more or less become defunct as most of its leaders have joined the TRS now.

Moreover, it is to be seen if the BJP’s winning the Dubbak bye-election earlier this month has an impact on the GHMC elections. The saffron party’s candidate, Raghunandan Rao, won the seat by about 1,500 votes, dealing the TRS a severe blow as the constituency is considered to be a stronghold of the ruling party.

Political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy is however unconvinced that the TRS will deliberately antagonize the AIMIM. He however did not rule it out as a possibility in the future. “They (TRS) will not get into Asad’s territory unless it is a strategic move, which will be done with consultation. AIMIM would not want Hindu votes in the Old city going to the BJP,” he opined.

Reddy however, said that both TRS supremo and Telangana chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his son (and state IT minister) K. T. Rama Rao will be worried about AIMIM’s growth in the country. “Tomorrow if Owaisi rises any further, he may ask for a larger share in things. There is every possibility because Owaisi wants to grow. KCR and KTR do not have to worry about anything as of today, but things may change drastically after this election itself,” he added.