TRS sweeps Telangana municipal elections, wins 105 of 120 municipalities

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Saturday swept the municipal elections by capturing 105 out of the 120 municipalities and 6 out of 9 municipal corporations in the state. Elections to these urban local bodies were conducted on January 22.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could manage just 5 and 4 municipalities respectively while Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won majority wards in Bhainsa municipality in Adilabad district.

The independents and rebels have an important role in three municipal corporations of Nizamabad, Mirpet, and Ramagundam as no party got a clear majority. Parties falling short of a majority will try to win the support from independents increasing the chances of horse-trading.

Municipal elections came as a big shock for the Congress party, which was hoping for a revival of its prospects after decimation in the assembly elections in December 2018.

Though BJP has slightly improved its position,  the results fell far short of the party's expectations. With the municipal elections, the TRS was able to establish a complete political dominance in all the local bodies in the state. Last year the party had won all the 32 Zilla Parishads besides 431 out of 537 Mandal Parishads.

The elections for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC) are due later this year.