Hyderabad, Feb 9 (PTI) The shrill campaign for elections to seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities in Telangana that seen as another test of popularity for ruling Congress and opposition BJP and BRS, concluded on Monday.
The election, being held on party-basis, is witnessing a triangular contest among the three major parties.
The parties deployed heavyweights for canvassing, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy (Congress), Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar (BJP) and BRS Working President K T Rama Rao and his cousin T Harish Rao.
BJP president Nitin Nabin and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also participated in the saffron party’s campaign.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi addressed several rallies and undertook foot marches in several towns with a sizeable population of Muslims.
Revanth Reddy, who addressed public meetings at different places, accused the BRS and BJP of having a clandestine understanding to defeat the Congress.
Addressing a press conference here before the campaing concluded, Revanth Reddy accused the NDA government at the Centre of doing “injustice” to southern states and alleged that the BJP treats the states as “second grade citizens” in sanctioning Central funds and development projects.
He promised to prepare master plans for the progress of every municipality.
Alleging that the Congress government has failed to fulfil its election promises, the BRS sought votes to ensure progress in the urban local bodies.
BJP released a manifesto for the municipal elections, making a slew of promises, including not raising any taxes in municipalities and municipal corporations, strengthening neighbourhood health clinics and steps for checking menace of mosquitoes, monkeys, pigs and stray dogs.
It also promised safeguarding temples, removal of encroachment of temple lands and setting up ‘goshalas’ (shelter for cows) in every municipality, deploying AI for checking corruption and audit of projects.
After its major success in Gram Panchayat elections held in December last year, the ruling Congress wants to consolidate itself as numero uno in state politics, while BJP hopes to emerge as an alternative to the grand old party and the BRS.
Having suffered major setbacks in the 2023 assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BRS came up with a decent show in the Gram Panchayat polls. It is keen on making substantial gains in the municipal elections to make a turnaround in its fortunes.
Polling would be held on February 11 from 7 AM to 5 PM. Counting of votes would be taken up on February 13. PTI SJR SJR SA
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