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More in fray for Deputy Mayor post
With just three ST candidates to choose from for the coveted Mayor post, the TRS leadership has not much homework to do to zero in on the candidature, but it seems that they have a task cut out to pick one for the Deputy Mayor post. With the Mayor post reserved for ST (General) and only three got elected to the 50-Division Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC).
Khammam: With just three ST candidates to choose from for the coveted Mayor post, the TRS leadership has not much homework to do to zero in on the candidature, but it seems that they have a task cut out to pick one for the Deputy Mayor post. With the Mayor post reserved for ST (General) and only three got elected to the 50-Division Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC), the TRS leadership appears comfortable unlike in Greater Warangal where the competition for the Mayor post was intense.
The three candidates got elected are Dharavath Rammurthy Naik (1st Division), Dr Guguloth Papalal, retired District Coordinator of Health Services (DCHS), and R Rama Devi (38th Division). Of the three, Dr Papalal appears to be frontrunner for the post. Out of nowhere, he was called in to enter the poll fray by the TRS leadership.
Dr Papalal was the superintendent of the Government Area Hospital here when the TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) was admitted to the hospital when the latter was on fast-unto-death protest demanding separate State in 2009. Rammurthy Naik, who belongs to Pedda Tanda, is said to be a loyalist of Minister for Roads and Buildings Tummala Nageswar Rao.
Naik’s wife is a ZPTC in rural mandal. Unless the leadership wants to give the post to women, R Rama Devi may not have a chance, it’s learnt. Meanwhile, a section of TRS corporators belonging to upper castes demand that Deputy Mayor post be given to them only as the Mayor post was reserved for STs.
The Muslim community is also pressing their demand for the post as they have a huge chunk of population in the city. On the other hand, some BC leaders argue that they constitute a major part of votes in the Corporation and had supported the party. It may be mentioned here that out of the first 20 Divisions, the TRS candidates won in as many as 18 seats. The vote share of BCs is more in these divisions.
The TRS clinched only 16 in the next 30 divisions which constitute a major vote share of forward castes. Kamartapu Murali, Chava Narayan Rao, Kothapalli Neeraja, Meda Prashantha Laxmi and Jan Bi are among others in the race for Deputy Mayor post.
By:A Mahender
Special Correspondent
