Congress wins majority of urban local bodies in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana’s ruling Congress party has won nearly 60 per cent of urban local bodies, the results show on Friday night.

The Congress party captured power in 64 out of 116 municipalities and three out of seven corporations.

Main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) bagged 13 municipalities, while Forward Block captured one urban local body.

There were no clear winners in 38 municipalities. This triggered camp politics by both Congress and BRS to lure independents and others to win the posts of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons.

The Congress party claimed victory in 75 per cent of the municipalities.

An impressive performance by BRS denied the ruling party a clean sweep.

In the previous municipal elections held in 2020, then ruling party TRS (now BRS) had captured power in over 100 urban local bodies.

The ruling party also captured power in Mancherial, Ramagundam and Nalgonda corporations and was leading in Mahabubnagar.

In the 60-member Kothagudem corporation, Congress and Communist Party of India (CPI) won 22 seats each. Congress leaders said there was a friendly contest between them.

BJP, which failed to capture any municipality on its own, emerged as the single largest party in the Karimnagar corporation. It secured 30 seats in a 66-member corporation.

The BJP was also on its way to emerge as the single largest party in the Nizamabad corporation. It won 24 out of 45 seats, the results for which were declared till 8 p.m.

Nizamabad and Karimnagar are among the eight Lok Sabha seats held by the BJP in Telangana.

Out of 2,582 wards in municipalities, the Congress party bagged 1,347 wards while BRS secured 717 wards. The BJP was distant third with 261 seats. Others, including AIMIM and independents, won 256 seats

Out of 414 divisions in seven municipal corporations, results have come so far from 378 divisions. Congress won 177, while the BRS bagged 57 divisions. BJP won 70 divisions while others secured 74 seats.

Over 73 per cent of voters had cast their votes in the municipal elections in 116 municipalities and seven corporations on Wednesday. Counting of votes was taken up from 8 a.m. on Friday amid tight security.

A total of 52,17,413 voters were eligible to cast their votes in 2,981 wards in the 123 urban local bodies. According to the State Election Commission (SEC), 38,09,406 voters cast their votes.

The voter turnout in municipalities was 75.88 per cent, while in municipal corporations, 66.05 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise.

Notification for elections to Municipal chairpersons and vice-chairpersons, and corporation mayors and deputy mayors will be issued on Saturday.

Newly-elected councillors and corporators will take oath on February 16 (Monday), and the same day they will elect Municipal chairpersons and vice-chairpersons and corporation mayors and deputy mayors.

IANS