TRS Sweeps Warangal, Khammam, Acchampet Local Polls

Continuing its juggernaut since the formation of Telangana, the ruling TRS once again showed its political supremacy by capturing the Warangal and Khammam municipal corporations, as also the Acchampet nagar panchayat.

In the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation having 58 divisions, the TRS won 44, and the Congress had to be content with four divisions. The BJP and the TDP which had proclaimed that they were the only alternative to the TRS in Telangana, got bruised severely - the BJP managed one division while the TDP registered naught. Independents including rebels won in nine divisions. The results also mean that the TRS is guaranteed the Mayor's post in Warangal.

Though the TRS was confident of sweeping the polls in the Khammam Municipal Corporation having 50 divisions, it could win only 34 divisions, while the Congress trailed behind with 10 divisions. The CPI, CPM and YSRCP won two divisions each. What is surprising is that though the TDP had a strong base in Khammam, it could not win not even one division thanks to its senior leader from the district Tummala Nageshwar Rao defecting to the TRS, for which he was rewarded with a berth in the KCR cabinet. However the surprising factor here was the emergence of the YSRCP which bagged two divisions.

The Acchampet nagar panchayat elections were completely dominated by the TRS. In a desperate bid to corner the TRS, the Congress, the BJP and the TDP had joined hands and entered an alliance to contest the panchayat having 20 divisions. The pink Party won all the 20 divisions.

This is the TRS' seventh straight victory in seven elections held in Telangana so far. The Party won thumping majorities in the by-elections to the Medak and Warangal Lok Sabha seats, the by-election to the Narayankhed Assembly seat, the elections to the GHMC, and the elections now to the Warangal, Khammam and Acchampet civic bodies.

The TDP's humiliating defeat puts a question mark over its future in Telangana. After suffering major setbacks in the Medak and Warangal Lok Sabha by-elections, the TDP even lost its deposit in the Narayankhed Assembly by-election. And the Party managed just one of the 150 divisions in the GHMC. It has now struck a big zero in the three civic bodies of Warangal, Khammam and Achampet. It needs to be seen if the Party can come up with a turnaround artist.