In a stunning pre-election drama, five councillors in Telangana’s Karimnagar Municipal Corporation joined the Congress party on Sunday, threatening to upend BJP’s frontrunner status for the mayor’s chair.
The switch included two from All India Forward Bloc and three independents, formalized under the watchful eyes of ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D. Sridhar Babu. Sai Jyoti’s flip-flop—from BJP on Friday to Congress on Sunday—epitomizes the high-wire act of alliances.
With 66 seats total, BJP commands 30, Congress 14, BRS 9, AIMIM 3, and 10 independents. Victory demands 34 votes with ex-officios. BJP’s Bandi Sanjay Kumar had secured four independents to hit 34, leveraging his MP status.
Congress struck back, reclaiming one defector, locking AIMIM support, and pitching to BRS for a combined 26. The new five boost it to 31, with MLAs’ ex-officio votes making 33—just one short of glory.
To safeguard gains, Congress relocated its members to a secure Hyderabad hotel. BJP’s parallel woes in Nizamabad, topping 28 of 60 divisions without majority, mirror the statewide scramble.
As councillor loyalties swing wildly, tomorrow’s vote promises to crown a winner in this fiercely contested corporation, reshaping local governance in Karimnagar.