The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Congress in dilemma over lobbying for Mayor’s post

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Friday, Dec 04, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Congress in dilemma over lobbying for Mayor’s post

Pact with MIM sealed; nine corporators eye the coveted post of Mayor

BC corporators, along with SC and ST members, want Mayor’s post for one of them
Nagender roots for Bharati Naik, while DS prefers Adam Uma Devi or Chandramma

— PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

All set: Jubilee Hall being spruced up ahead of the Mayoral election to be held on Friday.

HYDERABAD: With just a few hours left for election to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts, intense lobbying is on in the Congress for the top post even as it became clear that a pact with the MIM has been sealed.

With the number of aspirants continuing to swell, Congress leaders are caught in a bind on finalising the most suitable nominee. As many as nine corporators have set their eyes on the Mayor’s post with a section demanding that it be given to a candidate elected from a general constituency. However, with 30 corporators from the Backward Class communities getting elected to the GHMC, they are also demanding their pound of flesh. Harivardhan Reddy (Habsiguda) and Vengal Rao (Kukatpally) are the two strong contenders among the OC community, while the names of M. Madhu Goud (brother of Minister Mukesh Goud), K.Venkatesh (follower of Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao), Jagadeesh Goud (backed by Health Minister Danam Nagender) and Adam Vijay Kumar (a senior party leader) are also in the race.

Party leaders do rule out the possibility of fielding a woman candidate for the post. Mr. Nagender, who is also the GHCC president, is rooting for Bharati Naik (Banjara Hills) while APCC chief D. Srinivas is believed to have sounded Adam Uma Devi (Boudhanagar) and Chandramma (Rahmatnagar) for the top slot.

Incidentally, all three are second-time corporators. Mr. Srinivas at a press conference on Thursday said his party would tie up with another party to get the top post. “We need the support of 12 more members to bag the Mayor’s post,” he said.

MIM preference

The five-year tenure will see the Congress and MIM sharing the Mayor’s post for 30 months each. Both the parties are demanding that the first chance should go to them. MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi is in New Delhi attending the winter session of Parliament and is persuading Congress leaders at the Centre to give the MIM the first chance.

Special meeting

Presiding officer and district Collector Navin Mittal appealed to all the newly elected corporators to bring any photo identity card along with the original election certificate issued by the Returning Officer concerned for the first special meeting of GHMC on Friday. Due to indirect election to Mayor and Deputy Mayor, he said only elected members will be allowed inside the Jubilee Hall. He also requested them not to bring their friends or relatives to the venue, a press release said.

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