The ruling Congress on Friday recorded a decisive victory in the municipal elections in Telangana, winning 70 out of 116 municipalities and four out of seven municipal corporations that went to polls on February 11.
According to the reports from the State Election Commission (SEC), the Congress won 1,347 wards out of the total number of 2,582 wards and gained absolute majority in 70 municipalities. The party also captured four municipal corporations – Ramagundam, Mancherial, Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which previously held power in Telangana, secured victory in 723wards and managed to win only 13 municipalities, finishing a distant second to the Congress, despite putting up a close fight with the Congress in several wards. The party, however, drew a blank in the municipal corporations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered victory in only261 wards, while independent candidates won in 256 wards. The party, however, won the Karimnagar municipal corporation and emerged the single largest party in Nizamabad municipal corporation.
The results also produced a hung verdict in 33 municipalities and in Nizamabad municipal corporation, where no single party was able to secure a clear majority. Intense political negotiations and potential alliances are expected in the coming days as parties attempt to form governing councils in these local bodies.
Among the other parties, the Communist Party of India put up a strong show in Kothagudem municipal corporation, emerging as the single largest party by winning 29 out of 60 seats. After the elections, the BRS, which won eight seats, extended support to the CPI to capture the corporation, while the Congress, which won 22 seats is also willing to share power with the left party.
The counting of votes began at 8 am on Friday across 123 centres. Nearly 12,000 police personnel and Quick Response Teams have been deployed at the counting centres to maintain law and order. Over 73% of voters exercised their franchise in the elections.
Celebrations at Gandhi Bhavan
Following the resounding victory of the Congress in the municipal elections, party leaders and cadre erupted in jubilant celebrations across the state. Festive scenes were witnessed at Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress headquarters in Hyderabad, where party cadres gathered in large numbers to celebrate the party’s strong performance in the urban local body polls.
Supporters burst firecrackers, distributed sweets, and raised slogans in support of chief minister A Revanth Reddy, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, and senior national leader Rahul Gandhi. Senior Congress leaders, including V Hanumantha Rao, Mettu Sai Kumar, and Rohin Reddy, along with several other party functionaries, participated in the celebrations.
The chief minister, who is presently in New Delhi, met AICC general secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi in the evening and briefed her about the party’s victory in the municipal elections. “Priyanka Gandhi expressed happiness over the Congress party’s strong performance and congratulated the Chief Minister on the victory,” a statement from the chief minister’s office said.
In a statement, Revanth Reddy thanked the people of Telangana for handing the Congress party a decisive mandate in the elections held across 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations.
He said the victory was the result of the tireless efforts of lakhs of Congress workers and reflected their deep commitment to the party. The chief minister dedicated the victory to party cadres who carried the party flag at the grassroots level and took government welfare schemes to the people.
He stated that the electoral verdict signified the public’s complete approval of the government’s two-year governance, which focused on welfare of the poor and middle classes, as well as implementation of world-class development plans.
TPCC president and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud said the results reflected the urban electorate’s desire for development and their satisfaction with people-centric governance. He said the municipal election outcome was clear evidence of public approval for the Congress administration.
BRS claims improved performance
Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) claimed that his party had performed strongly in the municipal polls. He said the BRS had directly won around 15-16 municipalities and emerged as the largest party in another 15-16 municipalities. According to him, the party secured victories in about 750 wards and was set to win nearly 30% of the municipalities.
KTR alleged that the Congress resorted to large-scale irregularities and corruption during the elections. He praised BRS cadres for what he described as a “valiant fight” and said the party was ready to work with neutral councillors where necessary.
He also alleged that in hung municipalities, the Congress might indulge in further irregularities and had already begun negotiations and inducements to capture municipal chairperson posts. He further accused the Congress and the BJP of colluding politically.
KTR said the party would move forward with the same momentum in Hyderabad and other corporations and would prepare strategies to achieve better results in future elections.
BJP alleges Cong-BRS-MIM nexus
BJP state president Ramachandra Rao alleged that the AIMIM, Congress, and BRS had tacitly joined hands to defeat the BJP in the municipal polls. He said the Congress and BRS would not have secured so many seats without support from AIMIM votes.
He claimed that despite this, the BJP’s vote share had increased and the party was set to win around 350 wards, apart from Karimnagar and Nizamabad municipal corporations. He thanked party workers for their efforts in the elections.
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