Congress sweeps Telangana municipal polls, BRS far behind, BJP wins just 1

The ruling Congress on Friday (February 13) emerged as the clear winner in Telangana’s fiercely contested municipal elections, securing control of 70 out of 116 municipalities and consolidating its grip over urban local bodies. The main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) managed to win only 15 municipalities, while the BJP won just one.

Independents and smaller parties accounted for the remaining 30 municipalities, including candidates backed by the CPI, All India Forward Bloc, AIMIM, and other unaffiliated contestants.

Also read: Revanth Reddy responds to Amit Shah, dares BJP to win in Telangana

While the Congress’ performance marks a decisive victory, it falls short of the sweeping mandate Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy projected. Revanth had described the outcome as a “90 per cent victory”, but the final numbers do not support that claim. At the same time, the results have also undercut BRS working president KT Rama Rao’s (KTR) assertion that his party put up a strong fight.

Exit polls had predicted the BRS would win between 29 and 36 municipalities, but the party ended up securing barely half that number.

Urban verdict favours Congress

Municipal elections are considered a direct indicator of public sentiment in urban areas. During the campaign, BJP Telangana president N Ramachandra Rao repeatedly claimed that the party had gained significant traction in cities and would win at least half of the municipalities. KTR, too, had sought to frame the contest as a referendum on Congress governance, alleging that the government had failed to deliver development programmes in towns and cities.

The results, however, indicate that voters did not respond to the Opposition’s campaign. Congress won 70 municipalities and also secured four out of seven municipal corporations, suggesting the ruling party continues to enjoy a strong base in urban Telangana.

The campaign had turned into a high-stakes political battle between Revanth and KTR, with the Opposition mounting a sustained attack on the Chief Minister. Union ministers Bandi Sanjay Kumar and G Kishan Reddy campaigned extensively, targeting Revanth on governance and administrative issues. But the Congress’ performance suggests the allegations did not significantly influence voter behaviour.

BJP blames triangular contests, AIMIM factor

BJP leader N Ramachandra Rao admitted that the results did not match the party’s expectations. He attributed the BJP’s weak performance to triangular contests in several municipalities.

Rao also alleged that the AIMIM had indirectly helped Congress in many places, hurting BJP prospects. Despite the poor showing, he claimed the BJP had improved its performance compared to previous local elections and said the party had managed to win two corporations despite facing opposition from Congress, BRS and AIMIM.