If goings on are of any indication opposition parties in Hyderabad are waiting with beating hearts for the poll notification for the prestigious Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. The notification is expected on January 10. While the ruling TRS has been high on its poll campaign, the opposition Congress, TDP-BJP alliance is grouping in the dark on the selection of candidates. On the top of it, the opposition parties are worried as they will have to carry out election campaign covering 150 divisions in six days.

Hyderabad: Opposition Congress, TDP-BJP alliance in Telangana are waiting with a beating heart following feelers that the poll notification for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is likely on January 10.

The reservation of division are expected to be released on January 9, and the poll notification on January 10. This would leave the Congress and TDP-BJP alliance to select its candidates for 150 divisions in a short time of three days. “Selection of candidates in three days time was unheard of in any of the elections for the GHMC before,” agreed a TRS MLA from the city. However, to win the elections the party needed a strategy and the pink party leaders and cadre are sure of earning more divisions, this time, he added.

Confidence in the ruling party comes against the backdrop of its move in cutting short of the days of the elections process, and moving with a poll strategy of fielding candidates for each of the divisions. “This was because that the government has all the information on the reserved and unreserved divisions. But, as the opposition parties were not privy to the same, it might pose some problem for them in the selection of candidates within three days time,” the TRS party sources pointed out, and this they hope would provide a winning edge over others. This makes the ruling party on one hand to be ahead of others in the poll campaign, and on the other, it has already decided on its party candidates in most of the 150 divisions.

Expressing worry over the same issue, the Telangana Pradesh Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy sought a week time to study the reservation of divisions. He demanded the state elections commission to give time so that the party’s could study and put forth objections if any in the process of reserving the divisions.

Because, until recently, if any division or seat is reserved for the woman, then, the party’s used to field wife, mother or daughter of a prominent local leader, or an outgoing corporator. But, this time, the opposition party’s does not have any clue to decide candidates within a time of three days. In addition to this, in party’s like Congress there would be an internal fight among the top leadership to allocate tickets for its own candidates. Former Congress Minister Danam Nagender, Shabbir Ali, V Hanumantha Rao, and to name a view have their own candidates for several divisions and demanding that they should have a great say in deciding the candidates.

While this is so, the TDP remained groping in dark with no direction. So far, the party has not finalized its poll campaign, or who would be leading their campaign, and the names of its star campaigners. The situation in BJP too is not different. Though it had kick-started its campaign with Union Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari during his recent visit to the city, it is yet to figure out on its campaign strategy and selection of candidates.

Meanwhile, according to the GHMC officials, the reservation of divisions are expected on January 9, Poll notification on January 10, withdrawal of nomination on January 13, Scrutiny of nominations on January 14, withdrawal of nominations on January 15, and polling on January 23. This leaves the opposition parties only six days time to carry out their elections campaign in 150 divisions.
This means, “each party will have to cover at least 20 divisions in a day. And, for the star campaigners, it would be a daunting task as each of them would not be in a position to cover more than 5 to 6 divisions in a day. This is what is worrying everyone,” a source in the TDP.