Congress Party Dominates Telangana Municipal Elections, Winning 86 Of 105 Mayor Posts, BRS Loses Ground

Hyderabad: Following the high-voltage municipal elections in Telangana, the results showed the ruling Congress Party emerging as the clear winner. The Congress party, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, has emerged victorious, winning 86 out of 105 chairmanships/mayors and leaving the main opposition, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), far behind with a mere 18 municipalities to its credit. 

Apart from the BRS, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to win a solitary corporation, Karimnagar Municipal Corporation, as the Congress celebrated a thumping victory in the elections. The BRS faced a major setback, losing all seven municipal corporations, while the Congress bagged five corporations. In Kothagudem, the Congress and CPI, its electoral ally, contested independently and secured 22 seats each, pushing the BRS to third place with just 8 corporator posts.

Earlier, the Congress party dominated Telangana's civic body elections held on February 11, with results declared on February 14. The election for Chairmen/Mayors and Vice-chairmen/Deputy Mayors took place on February 16, with the State Election Commission postponing elections for top jobs in 11 municipalities to a later date.

According to the political analysts, the Congress's winning streak is no fluke as in the past two years, the party has steadily consolidated its position, leveraging Revanth Reddy's leadership to wrest power from the BRS. They asserted that Reddy's schemes, such as free bus fares for women and crop loan waivers, resonated with voters. 

The analysts suggested that the Congress's win is a reflection of its renewed organisational strength. The BRS, which had dominated Telangana politics for nearly a decade, has been limited to just a few corporations. 

A senior political observer said, "The Congress's win is a clear endorsement of Revanth Reddy's governance model and his focus on social welfare schemes." The BJP, which had hoped to make inroads in Telangana, has been dealt a blow, winning only one corporation.

The political observer stated that the Congress party's rise to power in Telangana has been remarkable. About two years ago, the BRS was the dominant force in the state, winning 88 seats in the 2018 Assembly elections and dominating civic bodies. Reddy's focused goal to capture power from the BRS paid off in the 2023 Assembly elections, where Congress trounced the BRS. 

The Congress's winning streak continued with victories in by-elections, Lok Sabha elections, winning 8 out of 17 seats, and panchayat elections, winning 70% of village panchayats. 

The Congress Party, at present, is basking in the glory of its triumph as it prepares to take on the BRS in future elections, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and other civic bodies. 

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