Hyderabad, November 17: With just three weeks left for change of guard at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen (MIM) has dropped enough hints that it is ready to takeover the mayor post as per the agreement it had reached with the Congress party two years ago.
With clear indications from the party for taking up the mayor post, MIM corporators are lobbying hard to don the mayoral robes. Deputy mayor Jaffer Miraz Hussain, former mayor and Hussaini Alam corporator Zulfeqar Ali and former standing committee chairperson and Chintalbasthi corporator Yasmin Sultana are vying for the top post. If the party wants to consider newly-elected corporators, party sources said Talab Chanchalam corporator Mohd Wajahat Ali Khan and MIM’s deputy floor leader Mohsina Parveen have bright chances of being in the top job.However, sources maintain that the party president might take a decision on the mayor post at a meeting to be held at the party’s office in Darusalam by November-end.MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had written a letter to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief a couple of weeks ago, reminding him about the agreement with their party on the mayor post, which expires on December 4, 2011. They also said transition of power should happen smoothly by respecting the post-poll agreement.
“There was no response to the MIM letter till date. The party is gearing up for transition of power from the Congress to MIM. The party leaders are not averse to holding discussions with Congress if they come up with a proposal to continue in the mayor post for another year,” an MIM leader told TOI.Meanwhile, some Congress corporators started trying their luck for deputy mayor post, including Congress floor leader in GHMC Kaleru Venkatesh, S Harivardhan Reddy (Habsiguda), Adam Umadevi (Boudhanagar) and others.
The Congress and MIM had entered into an agreement on sharing of the five-year mayor post soon after the GHMC elections in December, 2009. As per the deal, a Congress candidate would be mayor for the first two years followed by MIM candidate for the next two years. The last one year would again go to a Congress nominee. Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy would complete her two year term in office on December 4.Now, Karthika Reddy is trying hard to get extension for another year. The mayor has already petitioned PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana and chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy seeking the extension.
But due to political situation in the state, no decision was taken by the Congress. Some Congress leaders reportedly assured the mayor that MIM would be offered Rajya Sabha post in lieu of one year extension. Sources close to the mayor said the party would now concentrate on the issue as the political situation was now slowly stabilizing. However, Karthika Reddy maintained that she would abide by the decision of the party high command.
-TOI