Hyderabad: All major Municipal Corporations in Telangana now have women Mayors and Deputy Mayors as the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Friday entrusted the key posts in Warangal and Khammam to women.
Women corporators of the TRS were unanimously elected as Mayors and Deputy Mayors of Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) and Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Former MP and TRS women wing President Gundu Sudha Rani was elected mayor of GWMC, the second biggest municipal corporation in the state after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
Though the post was reserved for BC/general candidate, the TRS choose a woman leader as the mayor. Ponukollu Neeraja was named as Mayor of the Khammam Municipal Corporation. The post was reserved for women.
Interestingly, the TRS gave the posts of Deputy Mayors in both Warangal and Khammam to Muslim women — Rizwana Shameem in Warangal and Shaik Fathima Zohra in Khammam.
With this, all major corporations in the state have women as Mayors and Deputy Mayors. In February, Gadwal Vijayalaxmi and Srilatha Reddy were elected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Hyderabad respectively.
The TRS leadership declared the names of Mayors and Deputy Mayors of the GWMC and the KMC through sealed covers.
Ministers in charge for the elections announced the names at the meetings of newly-elected corporators.
Elections for Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons of five municipalities were also held on Friday.
Women were elected Chairpersons of Siddipet, Jadcherla and Kothur municipalities.
The posts of chairpersons of Nakrekal and Atchampet municipalities were not reserved for women. The posts of three Deputy Chairpersons also went to women.
The TRS had made a clean sweep of elections held for seven urban local bodies on April 30. The results were declared on May 3.
The ruling party not only retained power in these ULBs but also won enough seats to easily win the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the two municipal corporations and Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson in the five municipalities.