TRS scores an emphatic win in T'gana municipal polls

The ruling TRS in Telangana on Saturday continued its dominance in state politics, achieving an emphatic victory in the Urban Local Body polls held three days ago. In the 120 municipalities and nine municipal corporations where elections were held on January 22, TRS emerged victorious in a number of ULBs as votes were counted on Saturday.

Of the total of 3,535 wards where elections were held, the results of 2973 were declared till Saturday night. The TRS bagged 1687 wards, followed by INC-569, BJP-293, Independents-248, and AIMIM-87.

AIMIM won Bhainsa, where communal clashes occurred recently and Jalpally municipalities. Hailing his party's win, TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the win was not an ordinary one as t has consistently won people's mandate, beginning with the December 2018 assembly elections.

He hit out at the opposition parties for their allegations that TRS won the polls by using money power and misusing official machinery. TRS working president KT Rama Rao, the Chief Minister's son, said the massive victory was the peoples' endorsement of the welfare and development programs.

The opposition Congress and BJP attacked the TRS for alleged distribution of money misuse of official machinery. Congress MP A Revanth Reddy alleged that false cases were foisted on party leaders.

The party was not disappointed with the results and would continue to fight on behalf of people, he said. State BJP president K Laxman said it is only the BJP that can effectively take on TRS in Telangana and the results have proved that his party has a bright future in the state.

The ULB polls have become the costliest elections in the country, he claimed, adding that TRS candidates had spent over Rs one crore in each ward. Polling for 120 municipalities and nine corporations in the state was held amid tight security on January 22.

In municipalities, 74.40 percent of voters exercised their franchise, while it was 58.83 in municipal corporations. TRS bagged all 32 Zilla Parishads in the rural local body elections held last year.

The party has been successful at the hustings, having returned to power with a massive majority in the assembly polls held in December 2018. It put up a decent performance in the Lok Sabha polls (winning 11 of the total of 19 seats), though it suffered an unexpected setback after TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha failed to retain her Nizamabad seat.

BJP made surprise gains in the Lok Sabha polls, securing four seats. TRS had won the Huzurnagar Assembly constituency bypoll held in October last year where bye-election was necessitated after state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy quit following his election to the Lok Sabha.