2023 elections: Early trends give Congress wide lead in Telangana

These trends appeared to bolster exit polls, which suggested that the BRS was struggling to fend off anti-incumbency after a decade of ruling the country’s youngest state

The Congress established early leads across Telangana as of 9am on Sunday, an hour after counting for the assembly elections began, a trend keeping in line with what most exit polls forecast for the state.

People stand in a queue to cast their vote outside a polling station during the Telangana elections. (REUTERS)

During the first round of counting, the Congress was leading in 46 assembly constituencies, as against 11 seats the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was ahead in. Chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao is leading from his Gajwel constituency, said election officials involved in the counting exercise.

These trends appeared to bolster post-poll analysis, which suggested that the BRS was struggling to fend off anti-incumbency after a decade of ruling the country’s youngest state.

Still, to be sure, these are the earliest lot of rounds and are likely to change.

The elections for the 119-seat Telangana assembly are likely to see a straight fight between the incumbent BRS and Congress.

Every exit poll predicted that the Congress — which created the province while it was in power at the Centre in 2014 — was set to displace the BRS that has ruled the state since its inception.

Four exit polls even said that the Congress would get a simple majority on its own, as others predicted that it would likely emerge as the single-largest party.