The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) will not have any electoral alliance with the All India Majils-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the GHMC elections and the party will contest in all the 150 divisions in the city.
‘In fact, we will win in at least 10 seats in the old city,” the TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao said in an apparent move to null the rumours that it will have a friendly fight to benefit the MIM in its stronghold of old city. Mr. Rao said, “Just because AIMIM supports some of our decisions it doesn’t mean we are working together. We also have supported several decisions of the BJP at the Centre.” He also reminded that in the 2016 elections the TRS had won 5 seats in the old city and lost one with a narrow margin.
Lady Mayor
Mr. Rama Rao also brushed aside the allegations that it would offer the Mayor post to the MIM and said, “Mark my words the city will see a Lady Mayor of the TRS,” further adding why would they even think of offering the post to some other political party.
Countering the BJP president Bandi Sanjay’s statement that the saffron flag will flutter over the Golconda Fort, the TRS working president said, “Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had unfurled the national flag on the fort after Telangana was formed.” Loaded with sarcasm, KTR said people should realise that only the national flag will unfurl on the fort and not any party flag. “However, the pink flag will flutter over the GHMC,” he said in a retort to Mr. Sanjay’s claims.
Giving a bit of Telangana tinge to the elections, KTR described it as a fight between ‘galli party’ (local party) and ‘Dilli party’ (Delhi party). People want the local TRS party to rule and not a party from Delhi and they would like to choose decisive policies over divisive politics. He also reminded people that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been harping on ‘Vocal for Local’ and TRS is the party that is associated with the locals.
