Hyderabad: Senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader Shaik Abdullah Sohail alleged that a Congress BJP Telangana municipalities alliance operated across the State to prevent his party from securing leadership posts in urban local bodies.
He said the indirect elections held on February 16 for chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, mayors and deputy mayors exposed what he described as coordinated action. According to him, ward results declared on February 13 triggered negotiations between the two national parties.
Addressing the media in Hyderabad, Sohail claimed that the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party worked together in several municipalities. He alleged that they divided key posts and blocked the BRS even where it held numerical strength.
“The Congress and the BJP have proved that for the sake of power they can abandon ideology. For years they accused each other of being a B-team, but today they have become a single team in Telangana,” he said.
Municipal examples cited in Congress BJP Telangana municipalities alliance
Sohail cited Narsapur municipality as one example. He alleged that the Congress secured the chairperson post while the BJP took the vice-chairperson position under a mutual understanding.
In Sirpur Kagaznagar, he claimed that the BRS won 11 seats but could not secure the top posts. He said Congress and BJP councillors combined to elect their candidates.
He also referred to Aliabad, where he alleged that three BJP councillors supported a Congress candidate for chairperson. In Metpally, he claimed that the Congress backed the BJP for leadership.
According to him, similar arrangements occurred in Amangal and Medak. “From Aliabad to Amangal and from Metpally to Medak, people are watching these dark agreements. They fight in Delhi and join hands in our local bodies,” he said.
Claims of pressure and broader political questions
Sohail further alleged that in Kyathanpally, Thorrur, Jangaon and Zaheerabad, authorities attempted to block BRS candidates despite majority ward strength. He claimed officials and police personnel influenced the process.
“Councillors are being intimidated and officials are being used as pawns. This is not democracy. This is a desperate attempt by two national parties afraid of BRS strength,” he said.
He questioned whether Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar were aware of the alleged cooperation. He also referred to Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy while raising questions about political positioning at different levels.
“On one side they speak of Congress-mukt Bharat, and here they are proving Congress-yukt BJP,” he said.
Referring to the overall results, Sohail said the Congress won 86 chairperson and mayor posts out of 112 declared. The BRS secured 18, while the BJP won two. However, he maintained that cross-party support shaped several outcomes.
He further alleged that in certain urban pockets the Congress aligned with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. In North Telangana, he claimed, it coordinated with the BJP.
“The Congress works under a BJP mask and the BJP works under a Congress mask in Telangana. This unprincipled alliance will not be forgotten by the people,” Sohail asserted.
He said the BRS would continue to highlight the alleged Congress BJP Telangana municipalities alliance in municipal governance across the State.