Panchayat Elections: Congress makes a comeback in Telangana

Congress-backed candidates win 22% Sarpanch posts

Hyderabad, January 31: Having badly lost the Assembly elections in December 2018, the Congress party has made a strong comeback in Panchayat Raj elections.

Of 12,654 posts of Sarpanches, whose results were declared after the third phase of polling on Wednesday, the Congress party has won an impressive 2,709 or almost 22% seats. The ruling TRS won 7,774 or 61% Sarpanch seats. BJP stood third with 163, followed by TDP – 83, CPM – 77 and CPM – 50. Other candidates won on 1,828 seats.

The TRS party has maintained a clear lead in all the three phases of Panchayat Raj elections held on 21st, 25th and 30th January. However, the performance of Congress backed candidates was impressive in all the three phases. Of 4456 Sarpanch posts in the first phase, TRS won 2,629 (59%) while the Congress won 920 seats (21%). Similarly, in the second phase, TRS maintained a huge lead by winning 2,610 (63%) while the Congress got 835 (20%) seats.

In the third phase of Panchayat Raj elections which concluded on Wednesday, TRS won 2,505 (61.39%) seats followed by Congress – 954 (23.38%), BJP – 59; CPM – 21; CPI – 19 and CPI – 13. Other candidates won 509 seats.

They include the seats where Sapanches were elected unanimously without any contest.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy campaigned for Congress-backed candidates in Huzurnagar and Kodad constituencies of Suryapet constituencies. The results are quite encouraging for the Congress party which is gearing up to face next Lok Sabha elections in April/May this year. Congress party was confined to just 19 seats while TRS had won 88 seats in Assembly elections held in December 2018.