The last time the elections took place for urban local bodies which comprise municipalities and corporations was on 22 January 2020. The councils for these urban local bodies came into effect on 27 January 2020.
Published Jan 28, 2025 | 11:17 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 28, 2025 | 11:17 AM
Revanth Reddy and other key Telangana Congress leaders in a review meeting. (X)
Even as the gram panchayats, mandal and zilla parishads in Telangana have been languishing without elections for quite some time, now urban local bodies have joined them.
As many as 120 municipalities and nine municipal corporations came under the special officers’ rule on Republic Day since no election took place for them, which should have been, ideally, before the expiry of their term.
On 28 January, the term of Karimnagar Municipal Corporation will also end. Within a gap of two days, Karimnagar Municipal Corporation also will come under the special officer’s rule. Principal Secretary to Municipal Administration M Dana Kishore has issued orders to this effect.
The last time the elections took place for urban local bodies which comprise municipalities and corporations was on 22 January 2020. The councils for these urban local bodies came into effect on 27 January 2020.
With the addition of urban local bodies to the panchayats and the other local bodies which are waiting for elections, the Congress government’s plate has not only filled up but is overflowing.
The state government has to give the green signal to the State Election Commission to hold elections for Panchayats, Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), municipalities, and municipal corporations. There are no indications that it would, anytime soon.
At the end of this year, the Congress government faces another test — elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The last time elections were held was in 2020 and its term will end towards the end of this year.
As GHMC happens to be BRS’ citadel, Congress has been trying hard to gain a toe hold. It is coming up with major projects to get the urban voters interested in it. However, the implementation of these projects might also prove to be counterproductive.
This is because they involve displacement of the people and dispossession of their houses where they have been living for decades.
Already the Congress is suspected to have suffered an erosion in its vote bank because of the demolition spree by the HYDRAA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency) and the recent arrest of farmers in Lagacharla for resorting to violence when the officials visited their village for public hearing for setting up a pharma plant.
There are some sections that welcome the removal of authorised buildings and structures which exist close to water bodies, but those who are suffering because of the demolition drive are more in number which may work against the Congress interests on the day of reckoning.
Apart from this, the inability of the Congress to implement the welfare schemes in full is also understood to have dented the image of the party.
Even though there are indications that the elections to the urban local bodies might be held in April, it all depends on the outcome of the elections to panchayats and other local bodies including mandals and zilla parishads.
No one knows for sure when the elections will be held for local bodies as well as urban local bodies. The state government is now grappling with the onerous task of sorting out Backwards Class (BC) reservation and Scheduled Caste (SC) sub-classification issues which are very sensitive.
The Congress cannot afford to go in for elections to either local bodies or urban local bodies without enhancing the reservations for the BCs. The BRStelangana always taunts Congress that it should increase the quota for BCs to 42 percent as it had promised, knowing fully well that it cannot, since it would breach the 50 percent cap on reservations.
According to sources in the party, the Congress government wants to sort out these issues and go to election at least in February but at the same time it appears to be developing cold feet over how the verdict would be.
The party appears a little nervous about going to the polls in the face of the trenchant criticism of the ruling party by the BRS on its failures on various fronts.
The BRS has been going to the Congress’ jugular for not implementing the poll promises. Even though the ruling party had redeemed some of its promises, the BRS alleges they were done in fits and starts and that they did not cover all the beneficiaries. They refer to the ₹2 lakh crop loan waiver, and the attempt to prune the number of beneficiaries under the Rythu Bharosa and Indiramma Athmeeya Rythu Bharosa.
Now that the two schemes — Rythu Bharosa and Athmeeya Bharosa — deferred till the end of March for 100 percent implementation, obviously due to a lack of resources, the party workers are on edge as to how the people would react to the new arrangement.
The announcement of gradual implementation of the two schemes till March-end came like a bolt from the blue from Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, just a day ahead of the rolling out of the two schemes along with Indiramma houses and issuance of fresh ration cards — by the chief minister in Mahabubnagar district on the Republic Day.
As the Congress flounders, the BRS and BJP have gained a fresh lease of life. BRS Working President KT Rama Rao — KTR — went for Revanth Reddy’s guts for the garters, saying that Telangana would become a theatre of war if the government did not keep its promises and cover all the beneficiaries without slashing their numbers.
KTR, lately, has been very aggressive in instigating the people, mainly farmers, against Congress and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
BJP leader and Union Minister of State Bandi Sanjay has also become active, apparently keen on moving the BRS cheese away. The BJP has been successful at this game to a great extent in Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP leader said that the Congress had given go-bye to its promises of Rythu Bharosa and Athmeeya Bharosa and fresh ration cards.
“The Congress has sung the swan song for the schemes,” he said warning that the Union government would not fund Telangana’s ambitious housing programme as long as it continues to call the project Indiramma Houses.
As the Telangana political landscape becomes a treacherous minefield with both the Opposition parties trying to go for the kill the moment the Congress flounders, it will be interesting to watch how the grand old party avoids the boobytraps and turns the tables against them.
The euphoria of winning the Assembly elections has died down now and in its place, the weaknesses of the Congress are coming into sharper focus — overreaching ambitions and an impoverished treasury.
Vikramarka has said that the state is picking up a bill of ₹45,000 crore per year to fund the four welfare schemes — Rythu Bharosa, Athmeeya Bharosa, Indiramma Indlu and issue of fresh ration cards — explaining the kind of financial straitjacket that the government has got into.
Apart from this, the party’s national leadership is also understood to be worried over the fall out of the avarice of some of the Congress leaders in making the hay while the sun is still shining and making money which could tilt the scales drastically in favour of the Opposition parties.
The bell is tolling, but for whom?
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
