Congress Gains Upper Hand in Karimnagar as Five Corporators Switch Sides Ahead of Mayor Poll

Hyderabad, Feb 2026 : In a dramatic political development ahead of the mayoral election of the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, five corporators joined the ruling Indian National Congress on Sunday, significantly altering the balance of power and dealing a setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Among the five corporators who joined the Congress were independents, including two leaders associated with the All India Forward Bloc. Their formal induction took place in the presence of Telangana ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D. Sridhar Babu, underscoring the seriousness with which the ruling party is pursuing control of the civic body.

Notably, AIFB corporator Sai Jyothi, who had joined the BJP just two days earlier on Friday, reversed her decision and pledged allegiance to the Congress on Sunday. Her switch has been viewed as a major blow to the BJP’s efforts to secure power in the strategically important Karimnagar Corporation.

The election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor is scheduled for Monday. In the 66-member municipal corporation, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 30 elected corporators. Congress followed with 14 seats, while the Bharat Rashtra Samithi secured nine seats. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen won three seats, and ten corporators were elected as independents.

To win the mayoral post, a party or alliance needs at least 34 votes, including those of ex-officio members. BJP’s confidence had risen after Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is also the Karimnagar MP, successfully brought four independent corporators into the BJP fold. This had temporarily raised the BJP’s strength to the crucial 34-mark, with Bandi Sanjay himself eligible to vote as an ex-officio member.

However, the Congress countered swiftly by persuading one of those independents to defect, and by consolidating support from AIMIM while also reaching out to BRS. Together, Congress, AIMIM and BRS command 26 votes. With the addition of five independents, the tally has risen to 31, and further to 33 with the ex-officio votes of the Karimnagar and Manakondur MLAs. The Congress now needs the backing of just one more corporator to cross the majority threshold.

In an effort to prevent further defections, the ruling party has shifted its corporators and supporting independents to a hotel in Hyderabad.

Political churn is not limited to Karimnagar. In Nizamabad Municipal Corporation, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 28 of the 60 divisions but is struggling to reach the majority mark of 31. Congress, which won 17 divisions, enjoys the support of AIMIM’s 14 corporators, while the lone BRS corporator has also decided to side with Congress.

Meanwhile, intense political activity is underway across Telangana as Congress and BRS vie for control of 34 hung municipalities. Elections for chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in these urban bodies are scheduled for Monday.

Municipal elections were held on February 11 across 116 municipalities and seven corporations, with results declared on February 13. Congress secured clear majorities in 66 municipalities and four corporations, and emerged as the single largest party in 18 others. BRS won 13 municipalities and topped the charts in 19 more, setting the stage for high-stakes negotiations and shifting alliances across the state.