Telangana: State Congress brass happy with poll show

Hyderabad: Congress is satisfied with the results of the municipal polls as the party candidates put up good fight in some of the municipalities.

As per the results, the Congress performed well in 19 municipalities and won four. In all the party won 530 wards in 129 municipalities and corporations.

On the other hand, TRS won 1500 wards and the BJP got 230 wards. The independents also got away with 300 wards. The Congress gave good fight in erstwhile Nalgonda district.

The Congress leaders are also satisfied with the efforts by the local leaders in the elections. Though they faced severe shortage of resources, workers put up a good show.

However, the Grand Old Party was disappointed with the voting pattern as again Muslims did not favour it and at some places the BJP took the Congress votes. On the whole the Congress won 530 out of the total 3535 wards.

The party garnered 14 per cent of total wards, the TRS 42 per cent and the BJP 6 per cent. In about 14 municipalities it got equal and or more number of wards than the TRS. It also competed with the BJP in 12 municipalities with the BJP.

A senior leader of the party said that if the CAA issue had not helped the BJP, Congress could have won these municipalities easily taking the total to 30 municipalities. Party leaders said that their candidates were threatened and lured by the ruling party leaders.

As the Ministers were warned that they would lose their posts if they lost the municipalities, they used money, police and others to prevent Congress candidates from contesting.

They alleged that at several places the TRS leaders distributed crores of rupees. The TRS candidates had given from Rs 2,000 to Rs 6,000 per vote in the municipalities. In the municipalities around Hyderabad, TRS had given up to Rs 6,000 per vote.

Congress leaders said that the TRS performed badly in the municipalities where IT employees live in big number. In municipalities like Kompalli, Manikonda, Narsingi and others the performance of the TRS was poor.

In some municipalities, the TRS leaders were using the police to prevent Congress from winning the chairperson post. The independent candidates who were supporting the Congress were kidnapped. Manipulations took place at the counting centres to ensure the victory of the ruling party candidates.