Hyderabad: Short of numbers, TRS will have to seek MIM support to hold on to mayor post

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS, which fell short of the required numbers to take the mayor throne, may seek the support of AIMIM. In return, the TRS is expected to offer deputy mayor post to Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM.
However TRS working president KT Rama Rao on Friday said the party has not decided anything on the mayoral candidate and its since they have two more months to decide.
TRS party sources said if the AIMIM and BJP do not field their candidates for the coveted post, the election will be completed by show of hands.“Since whip is issued in the elections by the parties for their members there is no chance of any cross-voting,” a senior TRS leader said.
Though the TRS and AIMIM had friendly relations, the ruling party did not offer any post to the Majlis party after the TRS won the 2016 election with a thumping majority and did not require AIMIM’s support or that of ex-officio members. “This time, the AIMIM may extract a lot from the TRS, including sharing of the mayor post,” a source said.
The TRS has emerged as the single largest party with 55 seats, but it would need 10 members’ support even after using its 31 ex-officio members’ votes. While the BJP has emerged as second largest party, it has only two ex-officio members — Kishan Reddy and T Raja Singh.
TRS has 31 ex-officio members
While the TRS has 31 ex-officio members, the AIMIM has 10 members and BJP two. One teacher MLC (Narsi Reddy) and D Srinivas, who is technically in TRS but distanced himself from the party activities, are also ex-officio members. These members can participate in mayor and deputy mayor elections and vote.
“The TRS alone has 77 ex-officio members, including MLAs, MPs (both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha) and MLCs who reside in Hyderabad and are registered with GHMC. But as many as 46 members’ votes were used in the previous municipalities and municipal corporation elections to win chairperson and mayor posts,” a party senior functionary said.
For instance, Rajya Sabha MP Badugula Lingiah Yadav voted in Nereducherla municipality and another MP Banda Prakash voted in Adibatla. Some MLCs such as Gutha Sukhender Reddy and Palla Rajeshwar Reddy voted in Nalgonda municipality and Seri Subash Reddy in Nereducherla and Yegge Mallesham in Tukkuguda.
Even in other parties, the situation is same. Congress MP A Revanth Reddy voted in Kompally municipality and BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao in Makthal municipality.