A day after retaining the Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly constituency in the bypolls, Telangana's ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) swept the municipal elections, capturing all seven urban local bodies that went to polls last week.
The TRS won a clear majority in the Greater Warangal and Khammam Municipal Corporations and five municipalities -- Siddipet, Kothur, Nakrekal, Atchampet and Jadcherla -- where elections were held on April 30
In the 66-member Warangal Municipal Corporation, the TRS won 48 seats. The BJP finished second with 10 seats while Congress candidates were elected in four wards. Independents and others were elected in four places.
The TRS also retained power in 60-member Khammam Municipal Corporation. The TRS-CPI alliance bagged 46 seats while Congress-CPI-M alliance won 10 seats. The BJP could win a single seat while others secured two seats.
In Siddipet, the TRS has bagged 32 seats while results have been declared for 34 out of 43 wards. The BJP and others won a seat each.
In the 27-member Jadcherla municipality, the TRS won 23 seats. The BJP and the Congress bagged two seats each.
In the 20-member Atchampet body, the TRS won 13 seats. The Congress finished second with six seats while the BJP secured a single seat.
In Nakrekal, the TRS won 11 of the 20 seats. The Congress won two seats while independents were elected from seven wards.
In the 12-member Kothur municipality, the TRS won seven seats while the Congress bagged five seats.
About 70 per cent voters cast their votes in the seven urban local bodies on Friday.
Polling was also held for the by-elections to four wards in four municipalities and one ward in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
A total of 11,59,112 voters including 5,84,963 women were eligible to cast their votes in these elections.
As many as 1,307 candidates including 480 independents were in the fray in two corporations and five municipalities. Fourteen candidates tested their political fortunes in four wards while five candidates were in fray in Lingojiguda ward in GHMC.
The Congress dealt a blow to the BJP by winning the Lingojiguda ward. The seat fell vacant after BJP corporator A. Ramesh Goud died before taking oath. The TRS had not fielded its candidate on the request of the BJP which had fielded Goud's son.
With this victory, the Congress' strength in the 150-member GHMC rose to three.