M.S.Shankar, Hyderabad..

Hyderabad : Who’ll be the new Mayor of Greater Hyderabad? With no party getting requisite number in the 150-strong cash-rich Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), now the question on everyone’s lips is; “Will the TRS joins hands with its all –weather ally All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM)?  Or wait for what will be the BJP’s next move?”

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in the GHMC.  As against its claims to surpass the earlier figure of 99, it ended up winning just 56 divisions, falling short of 20. On the other hand, the AIMIM has managed to retain almost all its 43 of the 44 seats it won in 2016 polls.  Just before the polls, the TRS chose to fight polls independently, reasons best known to it, which was welcomed by the AIMIM.  However, the elections in-charge, chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao’s son and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, was cautious when he said AIMIM remains a good friend and supporter.

But, the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who said his party had no problem over the TRS’ decision not to fight polls jointly; “if they say katty, means katty. No issues.”
In that backdrop, many expect that TRS is left with no other option than to seek AIMIM’s support to stake claim of Mayor.  Or, the option, which looks more unlikely, is to request BJP to extend support.  Such an extreme step is only possible, if the KCR shuns his national ambitions and confines to state politics, like the Dravidian parties in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.