Aspirants for the Mayor post are ready to pull out all the stops to impress TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who is scheduled to arrive here on Thursday.
However, the party leadership is still tight-lipped over the issue whatwith preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections having already begun.
Forward caste theory
Since both Warangal East and Warangal West Assembly tickets were allotted to BC candidates, some leaders within the party contend that the Mayor post may be given to the forward caste communities this time.
Those in the race include Gunda Prakash Rao (26th division), Vaddiraj Ganesh (27th division), Boinapally Ranjith Rao (48th division) and Nagamalla Jhansi (56th division) among others. Deputy Mayor Khaja Sirajuddin, who is now in-charge Mayor, is also a strong contender for the post.
The contenders
Mr Prakash Rao, who was elected four times to the urban local body, belongs to Arya Vysya, a powerful community in Warangal East Assembly constituency and has worked as TRS State secretary twice.
Mr Vaddiraj Ganesh, who has the backing of advocates and the Telangana Brahmana Seva Sangha Samakya, is also hopeful of bagging the coveted post.
He actively participated in the separate State agitation during which helped Telangana protagonists who faced court cases, without charging a penny. He was also the president of Warangal Bar Association in 2011-12.
Of all the contenders vying for the post, Mr. Ranjith Rao is the youngest while Ms Jhansi, who hitherto held various positions such as Mandal Praja Parishad president and ZPTC member, claims that she has backing of local MLA Aruri Ramesh.
Muslim leader
Mr Sirajuddin’s followers contend that their leader has a strong case for the post as he represents the Muslim community in the city.