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Cyberabad overtakes Hyderabad!
And Babu’s man is the Mayor
- Jagan

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It was a long wait of sixteen years! The occasion was the election for the coveted post of Mayor to the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. But ironically enough, it was not a long wait for the electorate of Hyderabad on the polling day, as they grew restive, often punctuated by disinterest and cynicism. However, for the Chief Minister Nara Chandra Babu Naidu the long wait did prove to be a bonanza as his candidate Mr. Teegala Krishna Reddy was put on the gaddi, though not with a very big projected margin. In a constituency of over 2.6 millions the winner raced up to the coveted post just with a little over 22,000 majority. Not a big deal indeed, but the figure did not really bother the Chief Minister either, as his strategy yielded the desired result of putting his own man on the pedestal. The ballot battle was fraught with all its expected doses of allegations and counter-allegations, internal fightings, money distribution, free flow of liquor, free for all dishum-dishums in a typical filmi style, and above all the impersonations driving many genuine voters turn their back in a hush. Although the elections were monitored with over 30,000 posse of cops drawn from different districts in the state, no help came in to the genuine voters who could not brave to make an entry into the polling station for fear of being manhandled by the local thugs. The electoral fight was primarily between the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), the Telugu Desam Party and the Congress. While the MIM candidate Mir Zulfiqar Ali, the former Mayor, had hoped to return to his chair with a good mathematical calculation that the City's 1.6 millions of non-Muslim votes would be split among themselves, the TDP candidate Teegala Krishna Reddy, Chairman of the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority, enjoyed the unqualified support of the techno-savvy Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu who took the election as a prestigious issue, and the Congress candidate D. Naginder solely depended on his party's bitter ever tirade against the rule of Chandra Babu Naidu. The MIM was confident through out the period of the electioneering process, of retaining its traditional voters who account for over one million. At one stage of vote counting, it did send shocks down the spines of the Telugu Desam party leaders as the counting graph maintained a neck-to-neck race. Although the big-mustache man Teegala Krishna Reddy won the race, political pundits admit that it is the strategic victory of the Telugu Desam supreme Chandra Babu Naidu at personal level, as it was he who brokered a comfortable electoral understanding with the BJP which otherwise would have put up its own strong stake for the mayor post. While bringing the BJP to agree to his terms, Chandra Babu Naidu could effectively send the message across the city that his is a truly “secular” party and that a visit to his candidate is a vote in the direction of “development”. Although the mantra did not show much difference, it could at least silence some defiant voices that attempted to raise eloquently. Chandra Babu Naidu added glamour to the otherwise drab and dry electoral campaign by roping in film stars including the yesteryear's glamour queen Jayaprada. His concentration had been only on the 'cyber-image' of Hyberabad, which he claimed is the result of his unfailing efforts. But the candidates of the rival parties deliberately played it down and pooh-poohed his claims by shooting questions about the declining levels of civic amenities, for which Babu maintained a stoic silence. The MIM and the Congress accused Naidu of burdening the poor by hiking the power and water tariff. The MIM was particularly critical of Naidu for 'teaming up' with the BJP which the former accused of being 'communal'. His brand of development has few takers among the weaker sections. And he knows it too! What amazed many observers is the fact that Babu managed to sercure comfortable numbers even in the MIM’s traditional bastion of the Old City – in and around the historic Char Minar -- which is dominated by the Muslim voters. He cared a hoot for the allegations, as they had become too familiar and perhaps “old” too! Though the allegations looked worn out, there had been no additional points either for his arch rivals to make an issue out of, thanks to their lack of innovativeness. Babu faced very unfavourable climate from the traders in the Old City because of his pronounced objective of preserving the antique nature of the Char Minar, which also is the hub of business activity. Taking a political advantage out of the economic disadvantages of the pedestrinisation of Char Minar, the MIM comfortably raised the bogey of 'step motherly' treatment being meted out to the Muslim traders around the historical place. With an unmistakable slogan of 'Sahar Hamara; Mayor Hamara' the MIM braced up for the Mayoral elections. But the slogan did not have many takers. Ultimately it appears that “Cyberabad” took over the reins of “Hyderabad” as Babu’s development card put his man on the gaddi.

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