The Congress and the Telugu Desam emerged winners in Telangana and Seemandhra regions respectively in the Zilla Parishad elections that saw fortunes swinging by the hour till counting of ballot papers was completed on Wednesday morning.
The State Election Commission announced the final tally for the 16,617 mandal parishad territorial constituencies and 1,096 Zilla Parishad territorial constituencies in the State. In Seemandhra, though Telugu Desam and YSR Congress were locked in a neck and neck race, the former emerged winner closely followed by the YSRC. Of 653 ZPTCs in 13 districts, TDP bagged 373 ZPTCs and YSRC 275. The Congress cut a sorry figure by bagging a mere two seats.
Of the 10,092 mandal parishad territorial constituencies, TDP swept away with 5,216 MPTCs, YSRC 4,99, Congress 172, CPI(M) 24, CPI 14, BJP 13, while Independents won in 428 seats.
The TRS put up an impressive performance in Telangana given that it has no organisational network to match that of Congress and took the lead in ZPTCs. Of 443 ZPTC seats, TRS bagged 191 while Congress won 176 seats, TDP 53, YSRC six, BJP four and Left parties won four seats.
However in MPTCs, Congress regained its lead by claiming 2,351 MPTCs out of 6,525 MPTCs in the region. The TRS won in 1,860, TDP 1,061, BJP 275, CPI(M) 145, YSRC 121, CPI 80, BSP 28, Lok Satta one and independents bagged 500.
Of nine Zilla Parishads that went to polls in Telangana, Congress claimed five -- Nalgonda, Warangal, Ranga Reddy, Mahabubnagar and Medak but in Ranga Reddy and Medak, it was a photo-finish for the Congress. TRS established its supremacy in Adilabad, Karimnagar and Nizamabad ZPs while Khammam ZP went to TDP significantly.
In Seemandhra, the rout of Congress was complete as people apparently voted out the party reflecting their anger against bifurcation of the State. Though no political party opposed creation of Telangana and Congress was the last party to take a decision, as a ruling party it received the drubbing at the hustings even in rural areas.
Both Telugu Desam and YSRC who are confident of forming the next government in the residuary Andhra Pradesh fought it out in both the urban and rural local body elections but TDP gave a stellar performance in both the elections, contrary to expectations that YSRC held sway over rural areas.
Of 13 ZPs in Seemandhra, TDP claimed nine, including the three north coastal Andhra districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam and also East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur districts. In Rayalaseema, it bagged Chittoor and Anantapur. YSR Congress established its convincing hold over Nellore, Prakasam besides Kadapa, its stronghold, and Kurnool.
