BJP captures Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, strengthens its grip over political nerve centre of north Telangana

BJP secures control of Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, defeating BRS and solidifying its influence in north Telangana politics.

Strengthening its grip on Karimnagar, the BJP wrested control of the coveted Karimnagar Municipal Corporation (MCK) from the BRS, shattering the hopes of the ruling Congress to clinch the key civic body in north Telangana with the support of the AIMIM and independents.

Having won 30 divisions of the 66-member MCK, the BJP bagged both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts in the indirect elections held in Karimnagar on Monday.

All the nine newly elected corporators of the BRS abstained from voting, which was taken up soon after the oath-taking ceremony in the afternoon.

The BJP’s newly elected corporators — Kolagani Srinivas and Y. Sunil Rao — have been elected as the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the MCK, respectively. Mr. Rao had earlier served as the Mayor of Karimnagar in the previous council during the BRS regime. He switched over to the BJP last year.

The BJP mayoral candidate got 34 votes, while the Congress candidate secured 21 votes. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay cast his vote in favour of the BJP mayoral candidate as an ex-officio member. Apart from the 14 Congress members, three AIMIM members and four independents voted for the Congress candidate. BRS stayed away from the election.

The saffron party’s victory in the high-stakes MCK elections set off celebrations by the party cadre in Karimnagar. Mr. Sanjay took part in the celebrations at the Tower Circle in the town.