Beating expectations, the Telugu Desam Party and the Congress bagged a majority of the municipalities in the Seemandhra and Telangana regions respectively.
The YSR Congress Party was relegated to a poor second, way behind the TDP, while the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was a shade better in Telangana than the YSRCP in Seemandhra. The results have thrown up an interesting debate in political circles whether these can be seen as a precursor to the outcome of the general election in Andhra Pradesh.
Of the 92 municipalities in Seemandhra spread across 13 districts, the TDP won 62 and the YSR Congress 19, while no party managed a majority in the other 11 municipalities. On the expected lines, the Congress was washed out in the region, where it could not open its account.
The party is, however, upbeat in Telangana after securing 21 of the 53 municipalities there, leaving the TRS, which parted company with the Congress recently, with just eight.
Elections to 145 nagar panchayats/municipalities and 10 municipal corporations were held on March 30 but counting of votes was stayed by the Supreme Court until after completion of the general election, held on April 30 and May 7. The results of the zilla parishad elections, to be announced on Tuesday, are expected to give a clearer picture of the likely scenario on May 16, when votes polled in the general election will be counted.
