HYDERABAD: Two years since returning to govt, Congress tightened its grip on Telangana’s urban landscape Friday by being on course to win at least 83 of 116 municipalities and five of seven municipal corporations that went to polls on Feb 11.Congress sealed a majority in the Mancherial, Ramagundam and Nalgonda municipal corporations by evening and was close to wresting Mahbubnagar from BRS with 29 seats in the 60-member House. The party hopes to also win Kothagudem with the help of its ally CPI.BJP sprung a surprise by emerging as the single largest party in the Karimnagar and Nizamabad municipal corporations, leaving BRS’s cupboard bare. The municipal chairpersons and mayors will be elected on Feb 16.Of the 2,996 wards across 123 urban local bodies, Congress’s tally of 1,537 marked a sharp spike from the 569 seats it won in the 2020 municipal elections. The party had also performed well in the Dec 2025 rural polls, winning the majority of panchayats.
Poll results unlikely to alter political equations: Observers CM A Revanth Reddy described the outcome as an endorsement of the Congress govt’s welfare and development agenda over the past two years. Thanking voters and party workers, he said the mandate had increased the govt’s responsibility.“With this landslide victory, we rededicate ourselves to the development of the state, welfare of the people and transparent governance. We will develop every municipality and municipal corporation and continue to win the trust of the people,” Revanth said in a social media post. BRS won 781 wards, down from 1,686 in 2020, and secured 15 municipalities. BJP improved its tally to 335 wards from 293 last time, while AIMIM won 70 seats compared to 87 in the previous polls.The BJP was heading towards victory in the Karimnagar and Nizamabad municipal corporations with Feb 16 polling becoming crucial where ex-officio members and independents, who bagged 181 seats, are expected to play a key role in deciding chairperson and mayoral posts. In Kothagudem, where Congress and CPI won 22 seats each, the mayor’s post is likely to go to the CPI but late night talks are on to decide the mayoral candidate between the two parties, sources said. Several ULBs returned hung verdicts, setting the stage for intense political manoeuvring. Allegations of poaching surfaced, with parties reportedly shifting elected members.Political observers said that while urban voters gave the Congress a decisive advantage, the BRS and BJP mounted a competitive challenge. A senior observer said the municipal results were unlikely to significantly alter state-level political equations, though they reflect shifting dynamics since the Dec 2023 assembly elections.BJP state president N Ramachander Rao said the party improved its performance, claiming it won over 330 wards and emerged as the single largest party in six municipalities. The AIMIM won 68 wards, emerged as the single largest party in Bhainsa municipality and recorded a strong performance in the Nizamabad corporation. Polls have not been held to GHMC, two other municipal corporations within the ORR core urban belt, and Khammam and Warangal corporations.
