Hyderabad Municipal Elections Face Rebel Challenge Despite Massive Candidate Withdrawals
Despite a significant reduction in the electoral field with over 6,700 candidates withdrawing their nominations on Tuesday, rebel candidates continue to pose a substantial challenge across numerous wards and divisions in Hyderabad's urban local bodies. This development creates a complex scenario for major political parties including the Congress, Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who now face the difficult task of minimizing potential vote splits that could impact their electoral fortunes.
Leadership Strategies to Manage Rebel Influence
The leadership of Congress, BRS, BJP, and other participating parties has delegated the crucial responsibility of managing rebel candidates to their respective urban local body in-charges. These party representatives have been tasked with persuading rebels to withdraw or neutralize their impact on officially nominated candidates, a strategic move aimed at consolidating party votes and preventing fragmentation.
Official Election Commission Data Reveals Scale
According to comprehensive reports submitted to the Telangana State Election Commission from 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations, a total of 6,701 candidates formally withdrew their nominations by late Tuesday evening. This withdrawal process followed an initial surge of 29,694 nominations filed on the final day of the nomination process. Despite these substantial withdrawals, electoral authorities anticipate that over 12,900 candidates from various political parties and independent backgrounds will remain in the electoral contest.
Political Landscape and Symbol Allocation
The electoral battlefield features comprehensive participation from major parties with Congress, BRS, and BJP fielding candidates across all urban local bodies. Other political entities including the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), and Telangana Jagruti are contesting in selected wards of specific municipalities. Notably, Telangana Jagruti is participating using the AIFB election symbol, while the Election Commission continues the process of allocating appropriate symbols to independent candidates as municipal elections mandate the use of recognized party symbols.
Last-Minute Submission Rush and Security Measures
Tuesday witnessed frenetic activity as candidates from Congress, BRS, BJP, and other parties rushed to submit their B-forms before the deadline, which coincided with the final day for both B-form submission and candidature withdrawal. Meanwhile, Director General of Police Sivadhar Reddy issued specific instructions to police officers across the state, emphasizing the need for effective and lawful conduct of municipal elections with strict adherence to established protocols.
Internal Party Dynamics and Leadership Claims
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Goud addressed internal party matters, stating that the organization would resolve the ongoing standoff between party veteran T Jeevan Reddy and Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar. The disagreement reportedly stemmed from Jeevan Reddy's dissatisfaction with ticket distribution, particularly concerning the allocation of 30 tickets to MLAs who had defected to the party compared to his 20 tickets. Mahesh Goud confidently claimed, "We have been able to give B-forms to 99% of the candidates. We have resolved the problem in Gadwal. There is no rebel issue in the Congress. In fact, there is no competition to the Congress from any party, and we are poised to win 95% seats."
Emotional Reactions and Continued Rebel Presence
The final day for B-form submission and candidature withdrawal witnessed extreme emotional reactions from some aspirants who were denied party tickets. Reports indicate several individuals attempted drastic measures including pesticide consumption, self-immolation threats using kerosene and petrol, road blockades through dharnas, verbal abuse directed at party leadership, and explicit threats. Despite these dramatic protests, many such candidates chose to remain in the electoral fray without withdrawing their nominations, creating rebel candidates across all major political parties that continue to challenge official party nominees in various constituencies.
