The Indian National Congress secured a decisive majority in civic polls in Telangana, winning around 90 of the 116 municipal bodies. The party also crossed the 1,300 mark in ward victories out of nearly 2,580–2,996 wards where results were declared, signalling a sweeping mandate across urban local bodies. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi finished a distant second with an estimated 600–700 wards, while the Bharatiya Janata Party secured roughly 200–245 wards.
Early Trends Set Victory Path
Early trends released by the Telangana State Election Commission had shown Congress leading in 240 of the first 448 wards declared, setting the tone for what later became a broad-based electoral victory. Counting began at 8 am on Friday, with Congress taking early leads across multiple civic bodies. During initial trends, the party had secured 37 municipalities, while BRS had won 7.
Polling, Security, Counting Operations Detailed
Results from several civic bodies were still being tabulated at the time, and among the seven municipal corporations that went to polls, Congress had initially secured one corporation. During polling earlier in the week, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu cast his vote at a polling station in Madhira Municipality in Khammam district. Counting and security arrangements across the state were overseen by officials and personnel deployed by the Election Commission of India.
Ward Leads, Turnout, Logistics Snapshot
Ward-level trends during counting showed Congress leading in 430 wards, followed by BRS in 222 wards. BJP was in third place with leads in 61 wards, while other parties and independents were ahead in 59 wards. Polling was conducted across seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities. Voting covered 414 wards in corporations including Kothagudem, Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Nizamabad, Nalgonda and Ramagundam, along with 2,582 wards across municipalities. Officials said around 70% voter turnout was recorded by 5 pm.
Clashes, Protests, Allegations Surface
Satya Sharda, District Magistrate of Warangal, confirmed that counting began at 8 am and said postal ballot counting was conducted using multiple tables at Wardhannapet and Narsampet centres. Earlier, Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao expressed confidence about the party’s performance, stating BJP expected to improve its numbers and emerge as a strong political alternative in the state.
Officials said 16,031 ballot boxes were used in the elections and 137 strong rooms were prepared for secure storage. Polling day also witnessed sporadic clashes. In Karimnagar, police carried out a lathi charge to disperse BJP workers gathered near the Zilla Parishad office, with six workers reported injured. Party workers later staged a protest alleging bogus voting and accusing police of ignoring their complaints.
