Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen to support Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader

Hyderabad: The MIM is likely to continue with the TRS in the ensuing polls for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation by extending outside support. The MIM, which always refrained from prepoll alliance with any of the parties, either in the polls for the Assembly or civic bodies, this time is also likely to have an internal understanding with its new friendly party the TRS as it had done with the Congress in the last elections to the GHMC.

The MIM had allied with the Congress after the elections to the corporation in 2009 and decided to share the Mayor’s post. In the 150-member council, the Congress won 52 seats, while the TD bagged 45 divisions and the MIM ended up by emerging victorious in 43 divisions in the 2009 elections. The TRS, which has refrained from the polls in 2009, this time around is keen on grabbing a majority of the seats in the corporation to establish its hold in the state capital.

Similarly, the MIM also has been eyeing more divisions in the corporation. The party leaders are of the opinion that the TD and the Congress will not be able to create much impact in the ensuing civic polls, in the wake of the post bifurcation scenario. Sources in the MIM revealed that the TRS chief and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao already had a brief discussion with MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and party floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi. But the MIM leaders categorically said that their party’s stand is not to have a pre-poll alliance or a joint contest.

The term of the GHMC council is likely to end in October this year and the delimitation of wards is yet to be finalised. The High Court recently directed the government to hold the polls to the corporation only after delimitation of the wards in accordance with the 2011 census. The MIM is also expecting an increase in the number of divisions under the GHMC limits in view of the increase in population.