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TRS, BJP in direct contest in GHMC mayor, deputy mayor elections today
The posts of the mayor and deputy mayor have become a matter of prestige for the ruling K Chandrashekar Rao led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also contesting for both the posts this time.
Elections for the post of mayor and deputy mayor of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are scheduled to be conducted on Thursday. An hour after the newly elected corporators of GHMC take oath, elections for the mayor and deputy mayor will be conducted at 12.30pm. The posts have become a matter of prestige for the ruling K Chandrashekar Rao led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also contesting for both the posts this time. The term of the present council of GHMC expired on February 10.
What were the results of the GHMC polls?
In the GHMC polls held in December 2021, TRS won 56 out of the 150 seats while the BJP won 48 seats. Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 44 seats while the Congress finished a distant fourth with just two seats. In the 2015 GHMC polls, the TRS had won 99 seats and also secured the mayor and deputy mayor posts unanimously. But this time, securing the positions of mayor and deputy mayor is an uphill task for the party.
How are the elections for the post of mayor and deputy mayor held?
A total of 193 people will vote to elect the new GHMC mayor and deputy mayor. This includes 150 corporators and 43 ex-officio members. For the election to be held, a quorum of 50% attendance is compulsory and whichever candidate secures more votes will be elected for the posts.
The TRS has 32 ex-officio members (local members of Parliament and MLAs) of the GHMC and the BJP has 2 ex-officio seats.
Who could be the likely winner?
TRS is likely to grab both the positions as with the ex-officio members, the party’s tally would go up to 88 (56 councillors+ 32 ex-officio members). BJP’s tally would go to 50 (48 councillors+ 2 ex-officio members). AIMIM could emerge as the deciding party as it has 44 councillors and 9 ex-officio members.
