HYDERABAD: With 48 hours to go before campaigning in Grater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) ends, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti has realised that the number of its ex officio members in the twin cities’ corporation has reduced from 38 to 31.
Political parties need at least 93 seats to elect the mayor and his deputy. While the political parties are busy intensively campaigning to ensure the victory of their candidates, corporation authorities have been zeroing in on ex officio members, who are eligible to vote in the mayoral elections. The total number of ex officio members in the GHMC has reduced from 52 to 45, since seven of them have already voted in elections held for the newly formed municipalities or corporations adjoining the GHMC.
As on date, ex officio members of the TRS who are eligible to vote in the Hyderabad civic body has got reduced from 38 to 31, since MLA and MLCs Yegge Mallesham, Garikapati Rammohan Rao, Katepally Janardhan Reddy and minister Sabitha Indra Reddy have utilised their ex officio vote in Tukkuguda municipality to elect its chairperson, who is from the TRS. They will hence be ineligible to vote in the GHMC polls. Likewise, in Adibatla municipality, MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy, MLC M. Srinivas Reddy and Rajya Sabha MP Banda Prakash utilised their ex officio vote power.
In Pedda Amberpet municipality, MLCs Kurumaiahgari Naveen Kumar and Patnam Mahender Reddy have utilised their ex officio capacity. In Narsingi municipality of Rajendra Nagar, MLA T. Prakash Goud and Chevella MP Gaddam Ranjith Reddy have used up their ex officio votes. In Boduppal Municipal Corporation, labour minister Ch. Malla Reddy has already voted as an ex officio member. In Kompally municipality, MLA K. P. Vivekananda too has utilised his vote.
There is confusion prevailing over utilisation of Congress Lok Sabha MP A. Revanth Reddy’s vote and that of TRS Rajya Sabha MP K. Keshava Rao.
The director of municipal administration wing in the GHMC is yet to submit the list of ex- officio members, who would be eligible for voting in polls of the mayor and deputy mayor in the GHMC.
However, according to officials, 31 TRS, 10 AIMIM, three BJP and one Congress MP, MLAs and MLCs are eligible for voting as ex officio members in the corporation polls.
A senior official said any political party will have to win more than 50 per cent of seats in the GHMC Council to elect the mayor and his deputy. Only directly elected ward members are eligible to contest for these two posts. In case a single party does not get majority, it should have an alliance with another political party. The issue of ex officio members voting arises only then. For instance, the TRS should have 107 as the magic figure to elect the mayor directly.
All in all, TRS will have to win at least 75 seats on its own to win the posts of mayor and his deputy, along with the support of its 31 ex officio members.
