Amid high drama, and apparently driven by political equations emerging ahead of the Assembly elections, the resignation of Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain was rejected by the GHMC’s General Council here on Saturday.
Mr. Hussain, who belongs to the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) had submitted his resignation on March 7 citing instructions from his party. The move was presented as honouring the agreement with Congress on seat-sharing but it was widely speculated that Mr. Hussain was being readied to contest from one of the Assembly constituencies in the city.
As per procedure, the GHMC council had to accept the resignation before it was sent to the government and the State Election Commission. Saturday’s meet was called expressly for the purpose.
However, starting almost 90 minutes behind schedule, the meeting lasted hardly 10 minutes before it rejected the resignation.
Citing instructions from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Mayor had announced at the very outset that no discussions except what was on the agenda would be permitted. However, the TDP and BJP floor leaders caused interruptions, seeking details on what prompted him to resign and then held a walkout.
Congress Floor Leader Diddi Rambabu said his party had rejected the resignation, after which MIM Floor Leader Mohammed Naziruddin said they had no objection to it. The Mayor then concluded the meeting, stating the resig-nation had not been accepted.
Mr. Rambabu told reporters that his party and the MIM had worked cohesively and would continue to do the same. Once the Assembly and Parliament elections were over, the Mayor would perhaps resign again in May or June, he said. The Congress would then take the post till the end of the present term i.e., the year-end.
TDP Floor Leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy questioned how the Mayor could resign when many developmental works in the city were hit, and wanted to know the political compulsions behind the move.
With the council refusing to approve the resignation, Mr. Hussain would continue to hold the Mayor’s office. At the same time, continuing in office would not hinder him from contesting the coming elections, if the MIM decides to field him either for Assembly or Parliament.
