HYDERABAD: The Congress has made a clean sweep in several districts or is all set to bag majority of the Chairperson/Mayor posts in municipalities and corporations, decimating the Telugu Desam Party, particularly in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions.

The sweep was total and comprehensive in three of the four districts in Rayalaseema. In what appears to be sweet revenge, Congress won all seven municipalities in Chittoor, the home district of the TDP President, N. Chandrababu Naidu. The party secured 23 out of 24 wards in Palamneru and 22 out of 23 wards in Punganur in Chittoor district, conceding just one each to TDP.

TDP boycott

The party won all five municipalities in Kadapa, the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's native district. In his hometown of Pulivendula, the Congress expectedly bagged all 25 wards with the TDP boycotting the elections at the last moment. The party repeated the feat in Kurnool by winning all five municipalities.

The highlight in the district was the stellar performance of Congress (it won 37) and allies, CPI and CPI (M) (two each) in Adoni. It won all 41 wards leaving nothing for TDP.

The TDP was able to put up a fight only in the municipalities of Anantapur district. The party is in a position to win the post of Chairperson in Dharmavaram and Guntakal while the remaining three have gone to Congress.

Eclipsed

The Congress maintained its winning streak in the districts of coastal Andhra though not as comprehensively as in Rayalaseema. In Srikakulam, it won all the three civic bodies.

In West Godavari, it emerged as the single largest party in six out of seven civic bodies.

Though it was a mixed bag in East Godavari, the Congress won all 30 wards eclipsing the TDP in Tuni Muncipality.

In Guntur, it bagged 10 out of 11 towns, including Narasaraopet, once a stronghold of TDP's Kodela Sivaprasada Rao.

The party secured two out of three municipalities in Prakasam.

Telangana turn-about

It was only in Telangana that the TDP could perform relatively better, possibly because there was no alliance between Congress and TRS. The Left parties too were involved in friendly contests in some municipalities. Yet, the Congress won all four in Nalgonda and two in Ranga Reddy, while in Mahabubnagar, it bagged three out of four towns.

The TDP sprung a surprise in Karimnagar district by getting a majority in Sircilla Municipality. In the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation forming part of the TRS president and Union Minister, K. Chadrasekhara Rao's constituency, the TDP became the single largest party. It secured 15 divisions against 13 by Congress while TRS could get only one.

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