TRS vote share increases to 47 per cent, up from 34 per cent in 2014

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which returned to power with a two-thirds majority in the December 7 Assembly elections, results of which were declared Tuesday, polled 46.9 per cent of the total votes in the state.

This is nearly 13 per cent more than what it had secured in the Telangana region of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

The K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS won 88 seats in the 119-member Assembly, quelling the challenge of the Congress-TDP-led 'People's Front' which also comprised the TJS and the CPI.

According to the statistics provided by the Election Commission, the TRS had secured 63 seats in the 2014 elections, polling around 34.3 per cent of votes.

This time, the Congress secured 28.4 per cent of votes, bagging only 19 seats, two less than what it had won in the last polls, while the TDP could win only two against its tally of 15 seats in 2014.

The two other coalition partners failed to open their account.

The BJP garnered seven per cent, the TDP three per cent and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM 2.7 per cent.

According to state Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar, 73.2 per cent of the total 2.80 crore electorate exercised their franchise.

Chandrasekhar Rao's nephew T Harish Rao romped home with a huge margin of 1,18,699 votes in the Siddipet constituency, the highest in the polls.

He polled 1,31,295 votes, while his Telangana Jana Samithi rival Bhavani Marikanti secured 12,596 votes.

Harish Rao was followed by Arrori Ramesh, who won from the Wardhanpet segment by 99,240 votes.

The Congress' Athram Sakku won from Asifabad by a narrow margin of 171 votes over his TRS rival Kova Laxmi.

Chandrasekhar Rao won by a margin of 57,321 votes over Congress rival V Pratap Reddy from the Gajwel constituency.

Three TRS contestants registered their victory with margins of less than 1,000 votes over their nearest rivals.