The TRS maintained its good performance in the elections to municipal bodies by winning the chairmanship of 199 Mandal Praja Parishads against 114 of Congress, 37 of TDP and 21 others in Telangana on Friday. The elections were held to 371 MPPs while it was postponed in 24 others due to lack of quorum.
The TRS won majority MPPs in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak and Mahbubnagar while the Congress did so in Nalgonda. The two parties secured the same number of MPPs in Warangal and Ranga Reddy but the election was stayed in Khammam on court orders over the controversy surrounding Polavaram project. However, the direct election of Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency members in Khammam who were supposed to elect their presidents was held three months ago.
The election of presidents and vice-presidents of MPPs was taken up on Friday at 3 p.m. after the process to induct co-opted members of the bodies was completed in the morning. Only the MPTC members participated in the voting by show of hands while the co-opted members and MPs and MLAs were ex-officio members who did not having voting right.
A bandh was called by the BJP at Renjal in Nizamabad district after an MPTC member of the party switched over to Congress which tilted the scales in favour of the latter. The BJP alleged that the member was forcibly taken away by the Congress. The police resorted to lathicharge when BJP activists jostled with the Congress MPTCs.
The windshield of Parkal TDP MLA C. Dharma Reddy’s car was broken by irate TRS workers when he walked into the MPP office at Geesugonda in Warangal district. He escorted the MPTC members of TDP, inviting protest by TRS. A sub-inspector was injured in the attack by a mob when the police resorted to lathicharge during a clash between Congress, TDP and TRS workers at Lingala Ghanpur in the same district.
Congress workers hurled stones on the car of TRS MLA Marri Janardhan Reddy on suspicion that he was going with an MPTC member of their party at Bijinepalli in Mahbubnagar district. Another TRS MLA Guvvala Balaraju lodged a police complaint alleging highhandedness by Congress during the election at Vangur in the same district.
The authorities resorted to toss of the coin to decide winners following a tie between contestants at Vangur, Dharpalli and Morthad in Nizamabad and Ibrahimpatan in Ranga Reddy. The coin favoured Congress at three places. The election of ZP chairmen will take place on Saturday
