Andhra Pradesh - Nizamabad   

Congress comes out in flying colours in Nizamabad

Staff Reporter

Counting taken up amid elaborate security arrangements

IT'S OFFICIAL: Collector D.V. Raidu and Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Laddha discussing a point at the counting centre in Nizamabad on Monday.

NIZAMABAD: The ruling Congress swept the Municipal Corporation of Nizamabad and the Municipal Council of Bodhan while in Kamareddy it finished in second position in the municipal elections.

It came out with flying colours in 31 of the total 50 divisions in NMC and 18 of 35 wards in MCB. However, the party trailed behind the Telugu Desam Party by one seat by winning only 12 wards in Kamareddy where the main Opposition emerged as the single largest party by securing 13 wards. The Bharatiya Janata Party won in 8 wards here.

The main Opposition, Telugu Desam Party had to adjust only with seven divisions in the corporation, while the influence of the Telengana Rashtra Samithi which had won three Assembly seats in the last general elections in the district was restricted to three divisions in Nizamabad.

In Bodhan the TRS won two wards, while it failed to open its account in Kamareddy municipal council.

The BJP is set to play a crucial role in the chairperson election in Kamareddy.Here it remains to be seen whether will the BJP sail with the TDP despite its erstwhile ally openly said that it would not have a tie-up with the former under any circumstances in the post-poll scenario.

From the Congress K. Venugopal got the highest majority of 804 votes over the TDP nominee while the lowest majority (12) came for the BJP candidate, G. Lavanya in 43rd division.

The counting was held amid elaborate security arrangements and the Superintendent of Police, Mahesh Chandra Laddha personally went round the counting centres.

`Positive' vote

District Congress Committee president G. Gangadhar attributed his party's landslide victory in the municipal elections to a positive vote by people by seeing the developmental works being carried out by the Congress Government led by Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Gangadhar said the TDP carried out a false campaign against the Congress Government, but people did not believe it.

The TDP leaders were under the false impression that the people who had turned up to the their party chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu's roadshows and meetings would vote for them, he said.Commenting on the Congress's failure to retain the Kamareddy municipality, the Minister for Information, Mohammad Ali Shabbir said his party could not win a majority wards in the town because the TRS was bent upon defeating the Congress.

The TRS and the BJP had strong influence in the areas constituting 24 to 33 wards where TDP and BJP fared well, he said while admitting the negative impact of TRS where there was no alliance with it.

TDP district president Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said his party bowed its head to people's verdict.

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Congress comes out in flying colours in Nizamabad

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