E-Paper
TRS-backed candidates sweep gram panchayat elections in Telangana
Though the elections are held on non-party basis, candidates openly flaunted their political affiliation while contesting the elections.
In the first-ever gram panchayat elections held in Telangana since its formation in 2014, candidates backed by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) bagged three-fourths of the gram panchayat seats in the first phase held on Monday.
Though the elections are held on non-party basis, candidates openly flaunted their political affiliation while contesting the elections. The win for the ruling party comes months after it swept the assembly elections winning 88 of the 119 seats.
Of the 4,470 gram panchayats that went to polls in the first phase, the TRS-backed candidates had won in around 2,600 gram panchayats, when the reports last came in. The candidates supported by the Congress party bagged around 860 gram panchayats.
The BJP-affiliated candidates secured victory in 62 panchayats, Telugu Desam Party- in 22, CPI in 19 and CPI (M) in 30 gram panchayats, while independents captured 701 gram panchayats.
The results included 769 gram panchayats for which sarpanch and ward members were elected unanimously. Elections to nine gram panchayats could not be held due to court cases and other reasons.
As many as 12,202 candidates contested for sarpanch posts in 3,701 panchayats (after the unanimous elections to 769 panchayats), while 70,094 candidates are in the fray for 28,976 wards, an official statement from the State Election Commission said.
The polling began at 7 am and concluded at 1 pm. The counting of votes began after 2 pm. The polling was held using ballot papers, instead of Electronic Voting Machines.
About 55,000 police personnel were deployed for overseeing security arrangements during the poll process.
The second and third phases of the polls will be held on January 25 and 30. In all, there are 12,751 gram panchayats comprising 1,13,354 wards in the state, of which 19 gram panchayats with 184 wards are not going to polls.
