BJP national president Amit Shah to be strategist in GHMC polls

Hyderabad: BJP national president Amit Shah, who had played a key role in the party’s impressive show in Uttar Pradesh in the recent general elections, will work out a strategy in the upcoming GHMC polls to better the party’s chances.

Mr Shah will be coming to Hyderabad on August 20 for a two-day visit during which he will prepare a poll strategy for the BJP. Sources said that he will concentrate on the party cadre and meet party leaders including division level leaders.

The GHMC elections will mainly see a fight between the TRS-MIM alliance and the BJP-TD alliance. There are 150 divisions in GHMC.

In the last elections, the Congress had won 55, TD 44 and MIM 43. The BJP had won only a handful seats and the TRS had not contested. This time, the BJP wants to win more seats with the TD alliance.

Compared to other areas in Telangana, the TRS is weak in Hyderabad.

The BJP thinks that the performance of the TRS government and its attitude towards Seemandhra settlers will help them in some pockets of the city. In the recent general elections, the TD and the BJP combine had won majority Assembly seats in and around Hyderabad city.

The BJP had won Musheerabad, Amberpet, Khairatabad, Uppal and Goshamahal segments while the TD had won in Jubilee Hills, Sanathnagar, LB Nagar, Kukatpally, Quthbullapur and Secunderabad Cantonment segments.

TRS had won Secunderabad and Malkajgiri and MIM had won seven segments.

The BJP hopes that its alliance with the TD will have some impact in Old City area, which is an MIM stronghold.

State BJP leaders, particularly city leaders, are banking on Mr Shah’s tactics to help them win the GHMC elections.

Mr Shah will meet party workers and instruct them on how to campaign at the division level to attract voters.

The party will start its poll campaign at the earliest and will constitute various committees to work at the ground level.