Delivering a twin blow to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), whichturned hostile just before the elections, the ruling Congress party swept the municipal elections wresting almost 75 per cent of urban bodies that went to polls on Saturday. | |
| Of the 96 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations for which elections were held, Congress along with its Left allies won a whopping 74 urban bodies besides all the ten municipal corporations. |
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| Urban elections had never been a one-sided affair such as this in favour of any ruling party after the emergence of Telugu Desam Party in the year 1982. The ward councillors and corporators will elect chairmen and mayors in their respective municipalities and corporations tomorrow. |
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| The strength of TDP, which won 59 municipalities in the previous elections, has been reduced to just 10 with no stake in a single municipal corporation to claim. |
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| TRS could get majorities in just two municipalities, that too in the KCR's native district of Medak while CPI(M) claimed victory in two urban bodies, one in Nalgonda and the other in Khammam district. In the last municipal elections, Congress held about 28 municipalities and two municipal corporations. |
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| Terming the victory as the people's endorsement of policies and path of development pursued by the state government in the past 16 months in office, chief minister Y S Rajsekhara Reddy said that his administration would rededicate itself to the people-centric development as compared to the cosmetic changes resorted to by the previous regime. |
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| Even in terms of the number of wards and divisions, Congress tally was more than double over what the TDP won. Of the total 2,935 municipal wards, Congress won 1,635 seats followed by TDP, which won just 846 seats. In municipal corporations, Congress won 271 divisions as compared to 127 by TDP. |
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| TRS, which fought on its own to "teach a lesson to the state government for its anti-Telangana" policies, managed just 74 wards and 10 divisions out of the total 932 wards and 153 divisions of Telangana region. |
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| BJP, which had 11 municipalities in its fold in the previous elections could not open its account at all this time. Yet, it won in 77 wards and nine divisions in the elections. CPI and CPI(M), which fought the elections in alliance with the ruling party, won 49 and 67 wards in municipalities respectively. |
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| While CPI could win in just five divisions, CPI(M) candidates won in 17 divisions. Independents won 140 municipal wards and 54 divisions. In Vizianagaram municipality, hung result emerged with BSP-Congress winning 13 wards each while TDP winning in 11 wards. |
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| Soon after the initial results were out in the morning, TRS chief and Union Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao announced that his party is ready to extend and also to receive the support to and from the Congress party. |
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| "We are still together at the Centre despite some differences. So, we are willing to cooperate with the Congress wherever required," KCR said. |
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| KCR's strategic retreat, which is also viewed as a symbol of his party's humbling in the hands of Congress, is going to help both the parties in achieving majorities in a couple of municipalities. |
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| On the other hand, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said that his party was ready to take support from any party other than the BJP in the event of hung results. This stance is expected to spoil its chances of winning chairmen elections in a couple of municipalities. |
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| Surprisingly the TDP, which was praised as the agent of development in urban areas under the nine-year Naidu's rule, is threatened with no representation in two-thirds of the districts in the state in terms of chairmen and mayors. |
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| While TDP could not win a single municipality in Chittoor, which is Chandrababu Naidu's home district, Congress won all the municipalities in Cuddapah district, which is the home district of chief minister Rajasekhara Reddy. |
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| WINNERS & LOSERS
Of the 96 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations, Congress along with its Left allies won 74 urban bodies and all the 10 municipal corporations The strength of TDP, which won 59 municipalities in the previous elections, was reduced to just 10 TRS could get majorities in just two municipalities, that too in the KCR's native district of Medak CPI(M) claimed victory in two urban bodies "� one in Nalgonda and the other in Khammam district |
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