After making inroads in Nizamabad, BJP eyes municipal corporation

HYDERABAD: It’s a jostle of hopefuls in Nizamabad. Having won the Nizamabad MP seat last year, BJP wants to prove a point that its victory was not a fluke by bagging as many wards as possible in the January 22 municipal elections.
The ruling TRS is facing a stiff competition from within — too many aspirants for party tickets. MIM is not taking it easy as it aims to capture wards in Bodhan area which has sizeable Muslim population, while Congress is planning to upstage TRS in some wards.

The fight for the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation seat assumes significance with both TRS and BJP vying for the honours.On its part, TRS exuded confidence of winning a majority wards this time round.
While BJP is beset with too many aspirants in Nizamabad urban and Armoor, Congress is facing a similar predicament in Kamareddy. Sources said aspirants for TRS tickets would get clarity on Thursday if they stand to gain or lose. Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy, who hails from Nizamabad, told local leaders not to lose heart and put up a united front to bag all the wards.
MIM, which conducted two rallies in Nizamabad, is looking to field Hindu candidates in some of the wards, sources said. Leaders of TRS, Congress and BJP, however, are worried about nominations being filed by rebels after they are denied tickets. “That is going to be a huge problem for us,” a TRS leader said.
Interestingly, most of the aspirants are real estate promoters and builders. “Even in a medium-size ward, we may have to spend at least Rs 20 lakh,” a local TRS member said.