Initial trends indicate BJP making smart gains in Telangana

The BJP appears to be making smart gains in Telangana leading in four Lok Sabha seats while ruling TRS was ahead in nine, much below its own expectations, as per official trends for all 17 segments in the state.

The Congress also appears to be on way to improving its performance, as the party's candidates have established leads in four seats, according to the information available at 1 PM Thursday.

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi was ahead in Hyderabad seat, where he is seeking reelection for the fourth successive time, according to Election Commission sources.

Owaisi was leading by 1.47lakhvotes over his BJP rival Bhagavanth Rao.

The TRS headed by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the AIMIM had an electoral understanding in the April 11 elections, votes polled in which are being counted Thursday.

The two parties had repeatedly claimed they would sweep the polls in a repeat of the December, 2018 assembly elocution outcome.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TRS had bagged 11 seats and the Congress two. The BJP, TDP, YSRCP and AIMIM had shared one each then.

The BJP had suffered humiliating defeat in the assembly elections, winning just one seat and forfeiting deposits in more than 100 constituencies.

The TRS had returned to power with a rich haul of 88 seats in the 119-member assembly.

The Congress had turned in a poor performance with its candidates winning only in 19 assembly segments.

But the Rahul Gandhi-led outfit suffered huge setbacks in the state with 11 MLAs announcing switching loyalty to the TRS since the beginning of March.

TRS supremo and Telangana Chief Ministers daughter K Kavitha was trailing in Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat by 32,621 votes to BJP's D Arvind.

BJP candidates were leading in Adilabad, Karimnagar and Secunderabad also.

Congress nominees were ahead in Bhongir, Nalgonda, Chevella.

Telangana Congress working president A Revanth Reddy was leading in Malkajgiri by 1,070 over TRSs M Rajasekhar Reddy as per the latest trends available.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy has established a lead of 18,370 votes in Nalgonda.

Chevella sitting MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who joined the Congress on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections jumping the TRS ship, was leading by 12,700 votes over his nearest ruling party rival Ranjith Reddy.

BJP candidate B Sanjay was leading by 74,198 votes against his nearest rival and sitting TRS MP B Vinod Kumar in Karimnagar after the second round.

Soyam Bapurao of BJP was leading by 51,721 votes over his TRS rival Godam Nagesh in Adilabad, official sources said.

Reacting to the poll trends, BJP General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao said the party represents "the politics of change in the southern states."