Its the biggest battle for votes in Hyderabad. On February 2, the city voted for much awaited Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections. After formation of Telangana state, this is the first time that GHMC elections were held and therefore it is being seen as litmus test for all parties in the fray.
Nearly 45 per cent of the 75 lakh voters voted in the civic polls and sealed the fate of over 1300 candidates in 150 wards. Amid tight security, the polling for the crucial elections started at 7 AM and ended at 5pm. The state election commission also web cast the polling activity, specially of the sensitive areas. More than 25000 police personal were deployed to ensure peaceful elections. The GHMC had made elaborate arrangements for the elections. At all polling stations minimum basic facilities like drinking water, toilets, ramps for physically challenged people were provided.
The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi is confident of winning elections with a comfortable majority. The GHMC elections has become a matter of personal prestige for the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao, who wants to cast his supremacy over Hyderabad as well. From extravagant and extensive publicity campaign to showering sops and promising various welfare schemes to the people, the ruling TRS made all efforts to ensure victory in the GHMC election.
The changed political arithmetic in Hyderabad has made GHMC election interesting this time. In the last GHMC elections, MIM shared power with Congress and ruled GHMC. But this time, AIMIM and Congress are head on fighting the election. Even though TRS is politically strong in Telangana but the party is traditionally weak in the city. In 2014 assembly elections it failed to make any impact in Hyderabad. Main opposition TDP-BJP combine had won 14 out of 24 assembly seats in Hyderabad, indicating their strong hold.
However just before the elections, with BJP in the centre of controversy after the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula at the Hyderabad Central University and caste politics setting the agenda, opposition parties are making sure the issue turns the votes in their favor. For Congress, the elections are important for party's revival in the state. With Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi leading the fight from the front at university, the party hopes to gain some dividend in the elections. For TDP, who banking on the settlers and people of Andhra origin in the city, it will be a come back.
Even though the elections are a battle between KCR and Chandrababu Naidu, but its their children who took the centre stage. The stakes are high in this election and result will also set the path for these next generation leaders. The extensive campaign of the TRS was led by KCR's daughter Kavitha and son KT Ramarao, where as the TDP campaign was led by Naidu's son Nara Lokesh. It was for the first time that KTR and Lokesh took the on each other at many instances during the campaigning.
"We developed Hyderabad" For every political party, development of Hyderabad was the biggest poll plank. Be it Congress, BJP-TDP alliance or even ruling TRS who tried to woo voter with the promise to turn Hyderabad into a global city. But for people in Hyderabad basic civic issues of roads, water, sanitation, etc have been of equal concern, which they have to deal with every day. The counting of votes will be taken up on 5 February, the day which will decide who rules the richest civic body.
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