Congress, CPI Seal Power-Sharing Deal for Kothagudem Mayor Post
In an attempt to prevent the Congress from gaining control, BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) had reportedly extended unconditional support from the party’s eight corporators to the CPI
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is learnt to have proposed a post-poll alliance between the Congress and the CPI to secure control of the Kothagudem municipality, which returned a hung verdict in the results declared on Friday. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao had reached out to the CPI on Friday.
The Chief Minister held discussions with CPI leaders Palla Venkat Reddy and E.T. Narasimha at his residence on Saturday. According to party sources, he conveyed the Congress’ willingness to join hands with the CPI and hold talks on sharing the mayor and deputy mayor posts.
The Congress and the CPI have won 22 divisions each in Kothagudem, making them the largest parties in the council. The half-way mark is 31 in the 60-seat council. The BRS won eight divisions, Independents six, and the BJP won one.
With the indirect election scheduled for Monday, the two parties agreed to continue discussions to arrive at a consensus on the allocation of the top posts. Although the Congress and CPI were allies during the 2023 Assembly elections, they parted ways ahead of the municipal polls.
The Congress contested the municipal polls with the support of the CPM, while the CPI was backed by the Telugu Desam. The outcome has made the role of ex-officio members crucial. Congress MPs R. Raghuram Reddy and Renuka Chowdhary, CPI MLA K. Sambasiva Rao, BRS Rajya Sabha members Vaddiraju Ravichandra and Bandi Parthasaradhi Reddy, and local bodies MLC Tata Madhusudhan are eligible to vote in the mayoral election if their participation becomes necessary.