BJP secures crucial support to stake claim in Karimnagar

Hyderabad: After a high-voltage civic battle, the BJP has swiftly moved to consolidate numbers in Karimnagar, positioning itself within striking distance of the mayor's post.In a rapid post-result manoeuvre, five independents, including a BJP rebel, extended support to the party. Two independent corporators formally joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister of state for home and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay on Saturday evening, while others had joined earlier. Party sources said the BJP has now touched the magic number of 34 corporators, excluding one ex-officio member. Emerging as the single largest party in the 66-division Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 30 seats, ahead of Congress (14), BRS (9), AIMIM (3), All India Forward Bloc (2) and eight independents. With the magic figure pegged at 34, the saffron party needed four more corporators to clinch the mayor post.Sources said that soon after counting concluded on Friday, the BJP shifted its corporators to a farmhouse near Shamirpet. Some independents also joined the party there. Sanjay, who is overseeing the Karimnagar elections, reportedly held talks with independents to secure their backing in the mayoral polls. The party is also said to be exploring support from BRS corporators, though the pink party, with nine divisions, is not in the fray for the mayor's post. Nizambad scenarioWhile the outlook appears favourable in Karimnagar, the picture is less promising for the BJP in Nizamabad. In the 60-division Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, the BJP secured 28 seats, Congress 17 and AIMIM 14, while BRS won just one. With 31 required to win the mayoral post, sources in the BJP conceded that Congress and AIMIM together hold a clear advantage. In Nizamabad, the BJP has three ex-officio members — Lok Sabha MP Dharmapuri Arvind, Nizamabad Urban MLA Dhanpal Suryanarayana Gupta and Armoor MLA P Rakesh Reddy. However, Congress too has four ex-officio members within the corporation limits, including MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud and MLA R Bhoopathi Reddy, strengthening its position in the mayoral contest.