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Congress Dominates Telangana Panchayat Polls: How 53% Victory Reshapes Rural Politics

The Congress party has secured a commanding victory in Telangana's recent Gram Panchayat elections. They won over 53% of the Sarpanch posts, solidifying their rural dominance. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) managed to be a strong runner-up, while the BJP finished a distant third. The high voter turnout and clear majority give Congress significant momentum in local governance.

Key Points: Congress Wins Over 53% Gram Panchayats in Telangana Elections

  • Congress won 2,246 Sarpanch posts in the decisive third phase of polling
  • BRS put up a strong fight, securing second place with 27.64% of Panchayats
  • The BJP trailed far behind, winning only 5.52% of the total seats
  • Over 80% of the state's 1.66 crore voters cast their ballots across three phases
3 min read

Congress-backed candidates win over 53 pc Gram Panchayats in Telangana

Congress secures a decisive majority in Telangana's Gram Panchayat elections, winning over 53% of Sarpanch posts and defeating BRS and BJP.

"Congress-backed candidates have won 6,822 (53.60 per cent) Gram Panchayats. - State Election Commission Data"

Hyderabad, Dec 18

Telangana’s ruling party Congress has bagged over 53 per cent of Sarpanch posts in the Gram Panchayat elections held in three phases.

The party continued its dominance in the final phase held on Wednesday (December 17) to secure a clear majority.

Out of 4,159 Gram Panchayats notified for the third phase of polls, Congress-backed candidates won 2,246 Gram Panchayats.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) once again gave a tough fight to the ruling party to win 1,163 Sarpanch posts. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was a distant third with only 246 seats. Independents and others bagged 491 seats.

Barring Siddipet, Congress-backed candidates won the majority of seats in the remaining 30 districts

Out of the total 12,727 Gram Panchayats for which the State Election Commission (SEC) issued notifications in all three phases, Congress-backed candidates have won 6,822 (53.60 per cent) Gram Panchayats.

BRS stood second with 3,519 Gram Panchayats (27.64 per cent). BJP-backed candidates could win only 703 Gram Panchayats (5.52 per cent) while Independents and others secured 1,654 seats (12.99 per cent)

With any Independents declaring support for Congress, the ruling party claimed that it bagged two-thirds of Sarpanch posts.

Congress secured a clear majority in Nalgonda, Khammam, Bhadradri, Hanamkonda, Jagtial, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mahabubabad, Mahabubnagar, Macherial, Nagarkurnool, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Rangareddy, Sangareddy, Suryapet, Vikarabad, Kamareddy and Yadadri districts.

The State Election Commission (SEC) had issued a notification for elections for 12,728 Sarpanch posts and 1,12,242 Ward Members in 564 mandals.

A total of 1,205 sarpanches were elected unanimously, while no nominations were filed in 21 Gram Panchayats. Elections could not be conducted for five Sarpanch posts due to court stays.

Elections were conducted for the remaining 11,497 Sarpanches in three phases. Upa-Sarpanches were elected by newly elected Ward Members.

As many as 25,848 Ward Members were elected unanimously. No nominations were filed in 393 wards, while elections could not be held for 46 Ward Members due to court stays. Elections were held for the remaining 85,955 Ward Members in three phases.

There were 38,394 candidates for Sarpanch posts, while 2,12,251 candidates competed for Ward Member posts.

More than 80 per cent of 1.66 crore voters cast their votes in all three phases.

The SEC will take a decision soon on 26 Panchayats and 439 Wards where elections could not be conducted.

The newly elected Sarpanches will take charge on December 22.

The state government decided to conduct the elections for Gram Panchayats as the Rs 3,000 crore grant, which should come from the Centre, will lapse by March 31, 2026.

Elections for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and municipal corporations will be held after the High Court's final orders on 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs).

In October, the High Court struck down a government order providing 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local bodies but allowed conduct of the elections with a 50 per cent cap on total reservation for all sections.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
BRS putting up a tough fight even after losing the assembly elections shows they still have a strong base. But Congress winning over 53% is impressive. The real test will be how these Sarpanches deliver on promises. No more empty talk, please.
A
Aman W
BJP only 5.5%? That's quite a shocker for a national party. They need to seriously rethink their strategy in Telangana if they want to be a real alternative. Local issues matter more here than national rhetoric.
S
Sarah B
While the win is significant, I hope the focus remains on the ₹3,000 crore grant and ensuring it's used properly for village development. Transparency in fund usage is key. The article mentions many independents won - hope they keep the ruling party accountable.
K
Karthik V
Good to see elections conducted peacefully with high participation. The reservation issue for BCs is still pending with the High Court though. Hope that gets resolved fairly before the next round of local body polls.
M
Michael C
From an outside perspective, it's interesting to see how regional parties like BRS maintain significant presence even when out of power. The two-thirds claim by Congress with independent support shows practical politics at work. Hope the development goals are met.

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