Telangana: In a first, Warangal, Khammam to have women mayors

HYDERABAD: In a first perhaps, all the major municipal corporations in the state will have women mayors. Following Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) and Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) will also get woman mayors.
Apart from these two corporations, four municipalities will have women chairpersons. Elections to the mayoral and chairperson posts will be held on Friday.
The KMC mayoral post is reserved for general women, while it is reserved for BC general in GWMC.The TRS has reportedly assured mayor post to former MP and TRS mahila wing president Gundu Sudha Rani in GWMC though it is reserved for BC general candidate.
Party sources said generally a leader who had already been an MP won’t contest as a corporator in the civic elections. But in Sudha Rani’s case, the party leadership had assured her of the mayoral post and fielded her as a corporator from division 29 in the GWMC elections. Though half a dozen people are trying to secure the coveted post, the party is most likely to prefer Sudha Rani in Friday’s election.
In Khammam, minister Puvvada Ajya Kumar tried to field his wife in the elections with an eye on the mayor post. His wife Vasantha Laxmi filed her nomination but withdrew it later following the directions of the party leadership. More than half a dozen corporators are trying for the post.
Meanwhile, the TRS leadership has handed over names of the mayoral and deputy mayor candidates’ names to the party observers, which will be opened on Friday morning asking the corporators and councillors to obey the party’s decision. The party has also decided to issue whip to corporators though there is no chance for opposition parties to secure mayor and chairperson posts.
The TRS appointed ministers A Indrakaran Reddy and Gangula Kamalakar for GWMC mayoral polls, minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy and party general secretary N Naresh Reddy to Khammam, minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav to Kothur, party general secretary T Ravinder Rao to Nakrekal, former Karimnagar mayor Ravinder Singh and forest development corporation chairman V Pratap Reddy to Siddipet, minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy to Atchampet and civil supplies corporation chairman Mareddy Srinivas Reddy to Jadcherla for ensuring smooth election.