MIM seeks Mayors post for two years

HYDERABAD: The Majilis Ittehadul Muslimeen has expressed its keenness to have their own candidate for the mayor’s post after completion of the two-year term of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s elected body.In a letter addressed to the chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and the APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi asked them to respect the agreement reached between the two parties in November 2009.After the GHMC polls in November 2009, the Congress and MIM entered into an alliance to share power in the state’s premier civic body.Accordingly, in December 2009, Congress candidate Banda Karthika Reddy and MIM candidate, Jaffer Hussain were unanimously elected unopposed as mayor and deputy mayor.As they are going to complete their twoyear term soon, the MIM would like to have a mayor from their party and the deputy mayor from the Congress till completion of the five-year term of the elected body.The Congress top brass is in agreement that the post should be handed over to the MIM as per the 2009 agreement as the party is looking at a long-term political arrangement and the present mayor Banda Karthika Reddy’s chances of getting an extension are getting slimmer as the MIM is in no mood allow the Congress to continue having its candidate in the mayor’s post.