Hyderabad, Nov 29 (TIWN) The election campaign for any municipal body in the country has not been so shrill as it has been for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which is all set for polls on Tuesday.

The campaign saw a bitter war of words with leaders of the main contenders for power engaged in no-holds-barred attack on their opponents.

With central leaders and top leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too plunging into the electioneering to take on both ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and its friendly party Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), the Hyderabad civic polls have turned into a high-octane battle.

Upbeat over the victory in the Bihar Assembly elections and in bypolls in various states including Dubbak seat in Telangana, the BJP has entered the fray firing on all cylinders.

For the saffron party, elections to the 150-member GHMC is not merely a 'gully' election but a semi-final in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly battle. Claiming to have emerged as the main opposition party replacing the Congress, the BJP is aiming for power in Telangana to begin what its leaders call saffronisation of entire south India.

With a considerable support base among the urban electorate, the BJP hoping to reap rich dividends in a municipal body with over 74 lakh voters, covering 24 Assembly segments and five Lok Sabha constituencies. With Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat already under its belt, it is looking to cement its position further.