The ruling Congress party continued its strong performance in the second phase of the gram panchayat elections, with Congress-backed candidates winning more than half of the 4,333 sarpanch and ward member posts. The party secured a majority in all districts except Siddipet, Kumuram Bheem, Jangaon and Nirmal, consolidating its position ahead of other parties. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) put up stiff competition and finished second, while independent candidates stood third. BJP-backed candidates failed to make a significant impact in most districts, except in Nirmal.
According to results declared late Sunday night, the Congress won 2,297 seats (51.9 per cent), BRS 1,191 seats (27.5 per cent), BJP 257 seats (6.2 per cent) and others 578 seats (14.4 per cent). Among the winners, CPM-supported candidates won 33 seats and CPI-backed candidates 28. In comparison, in the first phase, Congress-backed candidates had secured 2,425 seats, BRS 1,168, BJP 189 and others 448 seats.
The elections highlighted strong voter enthusiasm in rural areas compared to urban centres. While voters in Hyderabad showed relatively low turnout, rural voters turned out in large numbers, braving cold weather and queuing at polling stations as early as 6 am. Overall voter turnout reached an impressive 85.86 per cent, 1.58 per cent higher than the 84.28 per cent recorded in the first phase. The Sunday holiday also contributed to the higher turnout.
In the second phase, notifications were issued for 4,333 sarpanch posts and 38,350 ward member posts, of which 415 sarpanch and 8,307 ward posts were uncontested. Polls were not conducted in a few villages and wards due to the absence of nominations. Polling took place in 193 mandals for 3,911 sarpanch and 29,917 ward member posts, with 12,782 sarpanch and 71,071 ward candidates contesting.
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri recorded the highest turnout at 91.72 per cent, while Nizamabad recorded the lowest at 76.71 per cent. Polling exceeded 80 per cent in 29 districts. Of the total 54,40,339 voters, 46,70,972 exercised their right to vote, with women leading the turnout. Following the declaration of sarpanch and ward member results, deputy sarpanch elections were conducted by convening ward members’ meetings.