TRS storms to power in Telangana, TDP in Seemandhra (Roundup)

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will form governments in the newly-created states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively as the two parties crushed the Congress to get majority on their own. They also bagged majority of the Lok Sabha seats in the two Telugu-speaking states.

In the first election held after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the TRS achieved the historic victory. It will form the first government in Telangana, which is set to become India's 29th state on June 2.

Seemandhra, which will come into being as Andhra Pradesh on the same day, will see the TDP government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Riding on Telangana sentiment and with the agenda of rebuilding the new state, the TRS stormed to power by winning 61 seats in 119-member assembly. It was leading in one constituency.

The Congress, which failed to gain electorally despite carving out the separate state, finished a poor second with 16 seats and was ahead in four segments.

In Seemandhra, the TDP-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance secured 16 seats and was on victory path in six other places.

The TDP on its own bagged 12 seats and was leading in three seats. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) retained its seven assembly seats in Hyderabad. Others including Independents bagged eight seats.

The TRS, which contested the polls on its own after refusing to merge or even have an alliance with the Congress, captured nine out of 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. It was inching closer to victory in two other constituencies. The Congress won two, the BJP and the MIM one each. The TDP and others were ahead in one each.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, who is set to become the first chief minister of Telangana, won both from Medak Lok Sabha and Gajwel assembly seats. His daughter K. Kavitha won the Nizamabad parliamentary seat.

If the results were shocking for the Congress in Telangana, it was a complete humiliation for the party in Seemandhra.

In the worst-ever performance in the southern state, the party failed to win even a single assembly or Lok Sabha seat. Such was the people's ire over the state's bifurcation that all its top leaders had to bite the dust.

By winning 95 seats so far in 175-member assembly, the TDP secured the majority on its own. It is also likely to win seven more seats. Its ally BJP won four seats.

The YSR Congress, which was locked in close fight in many districts, finished second with 63 seats. It was ahead in four other constituencies.

TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is set to become the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, retained his Kuppam assembly seat in Chittoor district.

Naidu, the longest-serving chief minister of the undivided state, termed the outcome as "people's victory" and promised to develop Seemandhra like Singapore.

YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who was elected from Pulivendula assembly constituency, attributed TDP's win to Modi factor and the 'false promises' by Naidu.

The TDP-BJP alliance also won 11 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra and was racing ahead in four other constituencies. The YSRCP bagged seven seats and is likely to add one more to its kitty.