Hyderabad, Feb 16 (IANS) Elections to chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of 11 municipalities in Telangana were postponed on Monday as both the ruling Congress and main opposition BRS accused each other of resorting to undemocratic means to capture power in the urban local bodies.

Elections in Yellandu, Sultanabad, ⁠Ibrahimpatnam, ⁠Kagaznagar, ⁠Ketanapally, ⁠Khanapur, ⁠Zaheerabad, Inderesham, Dornakal, Jjangaon and Thorrur have been postponed by the election authorities.

Elections to 116 municipalities and seven corporations were held on February 11, and the results were announced on February 13.

The Congress party secured a majority in 66 municipalities and four corporations.

The ruling party bagged municipal corporations of Mancherial, Mahabubnagar, Ramagundam and Nalgonda. In the Kothagudem corporation, Congress and CPI are likely to share the power.

The polls threw 34 hung municipalities and two hung corporations.

The ruling party emerged as the single largest party in 18 other municipalities.

The BRS won 13 municipalities and emerged as the single largest party in 19 municipalities.

While the BJP, which had emerged as the single largest party in Karimnagar Municipal Corporation by winning 30 seats in a 66-member municipal body, bagged the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, the Congress party captured power in Nizamabad Municipal Corporation in alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

Though the BJP was the single largest party in Nizamabad Corporation, the ruling party succeeded in taking control of the civic body. A Congress candidate was elected as mayor, while a councillor of AIMIM was elected as deputy mayor.

The Congress party managed to capture power in the majority of hung municipalities with the support of independents and others.

The meetings of the urban bodies began on Monday with the newly-elected councillors and corporators taking the oath. This was followed by the election of mayors, deputy mayors of corporations and chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of municipalities.

Tension prevailed at Thorrur municipality in Mahabubabad district when Congress and BRS workers clashed during the show of strength. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the clashing groups.

BRS leaders took exception to Congress MP from Warangal, Kadiyam Kavya, being allowed to cast a vote as an ex officio member. BRS leader and former minister E. Dayakar Rao had reached the municipal office with nine newly-elected councillors of BRS. He questioned how the Congress MP can be allowed to cast her vote.

Following the clash, the election authorities postponed the election of chairperson and vice-chairperson.

In an interesting development, the Congress party secured the post of chairperson of Aliabad municipality in Medchal Malkajgiri district, with the support of the BJP.

Kantham Sirisha of the Congress party was elected Mayor with the support of the BJP and others.

In the 20-member civic body, Congress had won eight seats while BRS had bagged seven seats. Three councillors of the BJP and two others were also elected.

As no party secured a majority on its own, Congress took the support of the BJP and two others to capture power.

In Adilabad municipality, independent councillor Bandari Anusha was elected as chairperson. In the 49-member civic body, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party by winning 21 seats. Congress won 11 seats, BRS and AIMIM won six seats each. Five independents were also elected.

Congress, BRS, AIMIM and four independents supported Anusha as the chairperson.

Similarly, in Bhainsa municipality, independent councillor T. Dattatri was elected chairperson with the support of BJP, AIMIM and Congress.

The ruling party captured power in Nirmal Municipal. Appala Kavya was elected as chairperson, while her husband Appala Ganesh was elected as vice-chairperson.

–IANS

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