In a surprising turn of events before the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation Mayor election, five corporators switched to the ruling Congress party. Among them were five independent corporators, including two from the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), who formally joined the Congress in the presence of state ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D. Sridhar Babu.
Sai Jyothi, an AIFB corporator who had recently moved to the BJP, changed allegiance to the Congress on Sunday. This move dealt a blow to the BJP’s chances of taking control of the Karimnagar Corporation.
The election for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Corporation is set for Monday. The BJP, with 30 seats, emerged as the largest party in the 66-member Karimnagar Corporation. The Congress secured 14 seats, while the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) secured 9 and 3 seats, respectively. Ten independents were also elected.
A total of 34 votes, including ex-officio members, are needed for a party to win the Mayor’s post. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, an MP from Karimnagar, had brought four independents to the BJP, increasing their strength to 34. Bandi Sanjay is also eligible to vote as an ex-officio member.
The Congress intensified its efforts to secure the Mayor’s seat by attracting an independent who had joined the BJP to its side. With the support of AIMIM and seeking BRS’s backing, the Congress, along with the addition of five independents, now stands at 31 seats. The Congress needs just one more corporator to reach the majority mark and is actively seeking support from independents.
