Did Telangana Congress Just Achieve Majority in Gram Panchayats?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Congress secured a significant win in the third phase of Gram Panchayat elections.
- BRS and BJP faced challenges in securing seats.
- High voter turnout indicates strong public engagement.
- Future elections will address representation for Backward Classes.
- Overall results show shifting dynamics in Telangana politics.
Hyderabad, Dec 17 (NationPress) The Congress party, which is the ruling party in Telangana, has showcased its stronghold in the Gram Panchayat elections by securing the majority of Sarpanch positions in the third and concluding phase held on Wednesday.
From the total of 4,159 Gram Panchayats designated for this phase, candidates supported by Congress emerged victorious in 2,208 Gram Panchayats as revealed by the results announced by 10 p.m.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) once again mounted a significant challenge to the ruling party, claiming 1,145 Sarpanch posts. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trailed far behind with just 239 seats. Additionally, independents and other parties captured 488 seats.
Across all three phases, the State Election Commission (SEC) had notified a total of 12,727 Gram Panchayats, wherein Congress-backed candidates secured 6,794 positions. BRS followed with 3,503 Gram Panchayats, while BJP candidates managed to win only 697, and independents along with others took 1,651 seats.
Results for 51 Gram Panchayats are still pending, and elections were not conducted in 29 villages for various reasons.
The polling process on Wednesday covered 3,752 Sarpanch posts and 28,410 Ward Members across 182 mandals in 31 districts.
Approximately 12,652 candidates contested for Sarpanch positions, while around 75,725 vied for Ward Member roles.
Eligible voters numbered around 53 lakh, with polling stations set up at 36,483 locations statewide.
Polling commenced at 7 a.m. and concluded at 1 p.m., achieving a recorded turnout of about 81 percent.
Vote counting began at 2 p.m.
The SEC had previously issued a notification for 4,159 Gram Panchayats for polling in this final phase. In 394 villages, Sarpanches were elected unanimously, while no nominations were submitted for 11 Gram Panchayats. Court orders prevented elections in two Panchayats.
Over 80 percent voter turnout was observed in the initial two phases held on December 11 and 14.
Last month, the SEC announced elections for 12,728 Sarpanch posts and 112,242 Ward Member posts.
A total of 1.66 crore rural voters are eligible to participate in these elections.
Future elections for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), and municipal corporations will proceed following the High Court's final verdict regarding the 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs).
In October, the High Court invalidated a government order that provided 42 percent reservation for BCs in local bodies but permitted the elections under a 50 percent cap on overall reservations for all groups.