TRS facing acid test in Hyderabad civic polls

Elections to local bodies in States are normally routine. Not so, for the polls to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), held on Tuesday. The reasons – they are the first after the formation of Telangana in 2014. Second and more important, they are an acid test for the ruling Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS), which needs to prove its strength in the capital city of Hyderabad.

Voters showed higher interest, with the polling percentage touching 45 per cent, up from the 43 per cent polled in 2009. Except for a minor clash between Cong (I) and the MIM workers, voting was largely peaceful, said Janardhana Reddy, Commissioner of GHMC.

The government had made elaborate arrangements, with over 40,000 police personnel manning the booths.

Elections were held for a total of 150 wards, of which 64 fall in the Cyberabad region, which includes most of the IT and new economy industrial areas.

The K Chandrasekhara Rao-led TRS government in the State exudes high confidence that it will smoothly sail through with a majority. The Party went all out to woo the urban voter and KT Rama Rao, son of the CM.

The battle is a matter of prestige for the TRS, as its performance was weakest in the capital city during the 2014 Assembly elections. Here, the MIM dominated the old city parts while the Telugu Desam Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party performed strongly in Secunderabad and Hyderabad areas.

The large presence of ‘settlers’ from Andhra Pradesh, and the highly cosmopolitan character of the capital did not prefer the TRS, which championed the separate Statehood demand and in some instances, antagonised their interests with certain statements.

The TRS has not only substantially toned down any rhetoric, but has also gone out of its way to woo the ‘settlers’, stating that everyone living in Hyderabad was a Hyderabadi .

At one juncture, KT Rama Rao, the IT minister and most visible face of the State government, said the Party would field candidates with roots in AP, where necessary. The Party has also struck a tacit understanding with the MIM.