In a surprising turn of events, the traditionally rival political parties, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have joined forces in several municipalities across Telangana to pass motions of no confidence against sitting chairmen and vice-chairmen.
The latest incident occurred in the Bhongir municipality, where councilors from both parties united to pass a joint no-confidence motion against the chairman and vice-chairman, successfully ousting them from their positions. Following this move, Congress leader Pothamshetty Venkateshwarlu assumed the chairman’s chair, while BJP leader Maya Dasharath took over as the vice-chairman, signaling a surprising display of camaraderie between the two parties.
This trend has been observed in various municipalities across the state. In Nalgonda Municipality, a similar motion of no confidence was passed against BRS Chairman Mandadi Saidireddy, with Congress councilors and five BJP councilors expressing their support for Congress’s Burri Srinivasa Reddy as the new chairman. Furthermore, in Jagtial Municipal Chairman election, both Congress and BJP jointly supported rebel candidate Aduvala Jyothi.
The joint efforts between Congress and BJP have resulted in victories for their respective candidates in municipalities such as Mancherial, Naspur, Khanapur, and Narayankhed. In these instances, Congress councilors emerged victorious as chairman and vice-chairmen after successful motions of no confidence were passed against the incumbent leaders.
Despite claims from party leaders that these alliances are formed in response to local circumstances, there are internal murmurs suggesting a deeper, more strategic partnership between the two national parties. Following Congress’s triumph in the assembly elections and subsequent formation of the government, the camaraderie between Congress and BJP has noticeably strengthened.