Hyderabad: Congress-backed candidates emerged ahead in the second phase panchayat elections in Telangana, winning more than half of the total seats and establishing a clear lead over rival parties, according to results available till early Monday.
Out of 4,333 gram panchayat posts, Congress supporters secured 2,297 seats, including unanimous victories, accounting for 51.9% of the total. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi finished second with 1,191 seats or 27.5%, while BJP-backed candidates won 257 seats, or 6.2%. Independents and others secured 578 seats, making up 14.4%.
Congress candidates won a majority of seats in all districts except Siddipet, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Jangaon and Nirmal. BRS candidates led in Siddipet, Kumuram Bheem and Jangaon, while BJP-backed candidates secured a majority only in Nirmal district.
Second phase panchayat elections record high voter turnout
The second phase recorded a voter turnout of 85.86%, higher than the 84.28% recorded in the first phase held on December 11. Officials attributed the increase partly to polling being held on a Sunday. Elections were notified for 4,333 gram panchayat sarpanch posts and 38,350 ward member posts.
Of these, 415 sarpanch posts and 8,307 ward member posts were decided unanimously. Polling did not take place in a few villages and wards due to lack of nominations or election postponements. Voting was conducted on Sunday for 3,911 sarpanch posts and 29,917 ward member posts across 193 mandals, with 12,782 sarpanch candidates and 71,071 ward member candidates in the fray.
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district recorded the highest turnout at 91.72%, while Nizamabad district registered the lowest at 76.71%. More than 80% polling was recorded in 29 districts.
Out of 54,40,339 registered voters, 46,70,972 cast their votes. Women voters outnumbered men in turnout, with 23,93,010 women and 22,77,902 men exercising their franchise. Polling remained largely peaceful across the state, barring minor incidents.
Vote counting began at 2 pm after polling concluded at 1 pm and continued late into the night amid tight contests in several locations. In many gram panchayats, candidates won by narrow margins. Following the declaration of results, officials conducted elections for deputy sarpanch posts by convening meetings of elected ward members.
