TRS leader K Kavitha has said the BJP campaign was aggressive and misled voters
Hyderabad:
Telangana’s ruling party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti, may have emerged as the largest party in the Hyderabad municipal elections, but the BJP’s achievements mean that it will likely need the support of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM when it comes time to elect a new mayor. .
However, TRS senior leader K Kavitha told NDTV in an exclusive interview: “There is still time for that. We will discuss and then make a decision.”
Ms. Kavitha, who is also the daughter of Prime Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, said that while the outcome of Tuesday’s elections called for “some introspection” and was less than the party’s expectations, she noted that the TRS had lost the less a dozen districts by very low margins.
“The BJP paraded the leaders and confused the voters. It is the BJP’s tactic to go aggressive everywhere. We now understand the BJP’s tactics. We will make sure we are one step ahead in 2023,” he said, adding: “No we are a weak party. ” . We are a well organized party with 60 lakh members and we will fight to ensure we are one step ahead in 2023 (assembly elections).
“We have succeeded in stopping the rise of the BJP as the largest party. The rest of the country can learn from TRS. Hyderabad has shown the way to stop the BJP,” Kavitha added.
TRS won 55 of 150 districts in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. The BJP won 48 and AIMIM retained its 44 seats.
In the previous election, the TRS obtained 99 and the BJP only four. TRS suffered a 40 percent drop from its 2016 run, and it will be looking over its shoulder with state polls expected in three years.
However, admitting that the TRS had not lived up to his expectations, K Kavitha noted that despite the BJP campaign, it had successfully fought the incumbency to remain the largest party.
“TRS stood firm and is still the largest party. Some introspection is needed … we lost close by a dozen seats, but we are in no rush to elect a mayor. We still have a month,” he said.
In a deeply polarizing campaign, the BJP had unleashed heavyweights, Union Interior Minister Amit Shah, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who focused on Pakistan, the Hindu-Muslim narrative and whether Hyderabad it should change its name to Bhagyanagar.
The campaign also focused on what the BJP called an “unholy alliance” between TRS and AIMIM. The two parties, although not officially partners, were friendly. That unofficial friendship will now likely go official, giving the BJP more ammunition ahead of state elections.
Much of the BJP’s profits came from the flood-affected parts of Hyderabad, and the party capitalized on public anger over the alleged mismanagement of flood relief.
K Kavitha responded to the suggestion that TRS could have done more to help voters there, saying the state had received “no help from the BJP government (in the center) during the floods.”
“TRS managed to provide relief even during the coronavirus pandemic. (But) the BJP stopped our relief … promised 25,000 rupees (compensation). Will the central leaders now help Hyderabad?” she asked.
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