Hyderabad, Feb 15 (NationPress) In an unexpected turn of events just before the Mayor election of the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, five corporators have officially aligned with the ruling Congress party on Sunday.

This includes five independent corporators, two of whom were previously affiliated with the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), who made their move in the presence of state ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D. Sridhar Babu.

Sai Jyothi, one of the AIFB corporators who had switched to the BJP on Friday, reverted her loyalty to the Congress on Sunday.

This shift poses a significant challenge for the BJP in their quest for power within the Karimnagar Corporation.

The election for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor is set for Monday.

Within the 66-member Karimnagar Corporation, the BJP currently leads with 30 seats, while the Congress secured 14, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) garnered 9 seats. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) captured three seats, along with ten independents.

A party must obtain 34 votes, including ex-officio members, to win the Mayor's position.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, also the MP from Karimnagar, previously brought four independents into the BJP fold, raising their numbers to 34. Bandi Sanjay can also vote as an ex-officio member.

In a strategic move, the Congress attempted to strengthen their bid for the Mayor's seat on Sunday by persuading one of the independents who joined the BJP to switch sides.

With the backing of AIMIM, the Congress has also reached out to the main opposition party, BRS. The combined strength of these three parties stands at 26.

By incorporating five independents, their total rises to 31, further increasing to 33 with the ex-officio votes from the Karimnagar and Manakondur MLAs.

The Congress is just one corporator shy of the majority and is actively seeking support from independents.

To consolidate their position, the ruling party relocated its corporators and independents to a hotel in Hyderabad.

While the BJP has also emerged as the largest party in the Nizamabad Municipal Corporation with 28 of the 60 divisions, it is struggling to reach the critical figure of 31.

The Congress, having won 17 divisions, enjoys the support of AIMIM, which secured 14 divisions. A lone corporator from BRS has also opted to join the Congress.

Simultaneously, both Congress and BRS are actively working to seize power in 34 hung municipalities.

The elections for chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in these municipalities are slated for Monday.

Both major parties are aiming to secure backing from independents to control urban bodies.

On February 11, elections were conducted for 116 municipalities and seven corporations, with results announced on February 13.

The Congress achieved a majority in 66 municipalities and four corporations, while in the Kothagudem corporation, a power-sharing arrangement between Congress and CPI is anticipated.

The ruling party also claimed the title of the largest party in 18 additional municipalities, while BRS won 13 municipalities and became the largest party in 19.