The first phase of village panchayat elections in Telangana concluded with a decisive victory for the ruling Congress party. Out of 4,236 notified panchayats, elections were held for 3,836 villages on Thursday. Congress-supported candidates secured 2,383 seats, asserting a clear majority, while the main opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), won 1,155 seats. Independents and other parties, including CPM (14 seats) and CPI (16 seats), collectively claimed 455 seats.
Elections were conducted across all 31 districts, with Congress demonstrating dominance in 30 districts. BRS retained influence primarily in Siddipet district, where former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and former minister Harish Rao hold sway. The BJP managed only 186 seats, with the highest tally in Nirmal district at 24 seats, while five districts saw minimal BJP presence. Overall, Congress won 58.5% of the contested seats, while BRS secured 26%.
Siddipet district witnessed a close contest. BRS-backed candidates won 75 seats, compared to 60 for Congress supporters. BJP secured 11 seats, while others won 17. Conversely, in Rajanna Sircilla, KTR’s constituency, Congress emerged as the frontrunner, winning 42 seats against 30 for BRS. Of the 395 uncontested villages, over 90% went to Congress candidates, highlighting the party’s strong grassroots presence.
Voter turnout in the first phase was robust at 84.28%, reflecting widespread participation, particularly among women. Out of 53,57,277 eligible voters, 45,15,141 cast their votes, including 23,15,796 women, 21,99,267 men, and 78 others. Districts such as Khammam, Nalgonda, and Suryapet recorded over 90% turnout, indicating strong engagement from rural voters.
Congress’ performance mirrored its previous assembly election success, consolidating its dominance across the state. In ten districts, Congress candidates won more than half of the panchayat seats, with Khammam district leading at 135 out of 192 seats. Other districts where Congress secured a majority include Nalgonda, Bhupalpalli, Janagam, Medak, Mulugu, Narayanapet, Peddapalli, Vikarabad, Gadwal, and Nager Kurnool. Counting began at 2 PM, with several rounds of recounting in areas with close margins, confirming the competitiveness of the elections.