TRS women at the helm of KMC

Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Khammam Municipal Corporation elected unopposed

Deputy Mayor Shaik Fatima Zahra and Mayor Punukollu Neeraja with Khammam Member of Parliament Nama Nageswara Rao after taking oath of office in Khammam on Friday.

Punukollu Neeraja and Shaik Fatima Zahra, the newly-elected Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) corporators, have been elected unopposed Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively, here on Friday.

Reinforcing its dominance over the KMC, the ruling party bagged both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts by virtue of its majority in the new council.

The party has won 43 of the total 60 wards and its ally the CPI bagged two wards in the just concluded elections to the KMC.

The Congress has won 10 wards and its ally the CPI (M) bagged two wards. The BJP has won just one ward and the independent candidates emerged victorious in two wards.

The TRS has not only retained its sway over the KMC by winning the urban local body (ULB) for the second consecutive term but handed over the reins of the ULB to women.

In 2012, the Khammam Municipality was upgraded to Municipal Corporation and the maiden election to the KMC were held in 2016. Dr. G Papa Lal of the TRS was the first mayor of the KMC.

As the KMC Mayor post was reserved for women (General) this time, there were many aspirants for the coveted post among the newly-elected women corporators of the ruling party.

The TRS leadership has communicated the names of the party’s nominees for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts to the newly-elected corporators through a sealed cover at a meeting held earlier in the day, sources said.

Party observer and Roads and Buildings Minister V. Prashanth Reddy addressed the newly-elected corporators at the meeting an hour before the election.

The TRS corporators together with the two CPI corporators reached the KMC office in a special bus and attended the swearing-in ceremony.

They took oath at the special meeting before electing Ms. Neeraja and Ms. Fatima Zahra as Mayor and Deputy Mayor unanimously, sources said.

Additional Collector N. Madhusudhan presided over the special meeting held in strict compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocols.

54-year-old Neeraja and 36-year-old Fatima, who were elected from the 26th and 37th wards of the KMC, thanked the TRS leadership for nominating them to the coveted posts.

They flashed victory signs after emerging out of the municipal corporation office amid jubilant mood.