Hyderabad: Telugu Desam Party and Congress have emerged victorious in the municipal elections in Andhra Pradesh, results of which were declared Monday, sending YSR Congress Party and Telangana Rashtra Samiti into a tizzy.
Elections were held on March 30 in 10 of 19 Municipal Corporations and 145 of 162 municipalities and nagarpalikas in undivided Andhra, 40 days after the Telangana Bill was passed in Parliament on February 18. The Supreme Court had directed the State Election Commission to withhold counting and announcement of results as general elections in Telangana and Seemandhra were due on April 30 and May 7.
Post-poll analysis of the Assembly and Parliament elections held simultaneously indicated a clear edge for YSRCP in Seemandhra and TRS in Telangana.
However, the municipal polls results threw one surprise after another. Although municipal elections are candidate-based revolving around strictly local issues and do not necessarily indicate voting patterns, it is enough to cause concern for TRS and YSRCP, hoping to form governments in Telangana and Seemandhra respectively.
TDP swept 11 of the 13 Seemandhra districts, winning in 58 of the 92 municipalities in Seemandhra. YSRCP won in 16. The verdict was ‘hung’ in 18 municipalities. Congress failed to win even a single municipality.
In the 53 municipalities in Telangana, Congress won 16, TRS won 9, TDP 5, BJP 2 and Independents 2. The verdict was ‘hung’ in 19 municipalities. Even in YSR’s native Kadapa district, TDP won four out of seven municipalities, while YSRCP won three. TDP swept in Anantapur, the other important Rayalaseema district, while YSRCP bagged Kurnool and Chittor districts.
In the seven municipal corporations in Seemandhra, TDP bagged five — Rajahmundry, Eluru, Chittor, Anantapur, and the crucial Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. YSRCP won Nellore and Kadapa municipal corporations. In the three municipal corporations in Telangana, TRS won Karimnagar while Congress won Nizamabad and Ramagundem.
Seats wise, in the total 2,490 municipal wards in Seemandhra the TDP won 1,446, YSRCP 852, Congress 55, Left parties 17 and Independents and others 120.
In Telangana, in the 1,399 municipal wards, Congress won 525, TRS won 313, TDP 162, Left parties 44, and Independents and others 355.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu tweeted “The Municipal Corporation election results show TDP’s victory has mirrored peoples’ confidence towards development & effective governance.’’ YSRCP dismissed the results saying after the March 30 municipal poll there was a complete change in people’s perceptions.