Hyderabad: The recently concluded Telangana municipal polls saw high-stakes battle between the ruling Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), with the former securing a dominant victory with 1,537 seats (51.3 per cent) and the latter managing 781 seats (26 per cent).
The civic elections were among the most closely contested polls in Telangana’s recent history, with 89 wards decided by a single-digit victory margin.
Out of these, the Indian National Congress won 35 seats, followed by the BRS at 26, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at 18, five seats by Independent candidates, three by the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and one each by Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Photo finish – won by 1 vote
The closest contests in the Telangana municipal elections witnessed photo-finish results. The fate of eight wards was decided by a margin of just one vote, with the Congress winning seven and one by the BJP.
In Mahabubnagar ward no 53, BJP’s N Ramesh Kumar secured 819 votes against Congress’ M Raghavendra’s 818 votes.
In Kollapur ward no 2, winner Uduthala Jayalaxmi (Congress) got 355 votes, defeating BRS’ Kummari Padma (354 votes).
| Winner Name | Winning Party | Runners-up Name | Runners-up Party | Victory Margin | District | Municipality | Ward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uduthala Jayalaxmi | INC | Kummari Padma | BRS | 1 | Nagarkurnool | Kollapur | 2 |
| Bochu Subhadra | INC | Rajini Shanigaram | BRS | 1 | Hanumakonda | Parakal | 17 |
| Budida Saidulu | INC | Vallampalli Vinod Kumar | BRS | 1 | Nalgonda | Miryalguda | 18 |
| T Venkatamma | INC | B Jayamma | BRS | 1 | Jogulamba Gadwal | Gadwal | 8 |
| Kodakanti Haritha | INC | Jeevan Rao Gorapade | BRS | 1 | Medak | Medak | 6 |
| Kanjarla Srivani | INC | Begari Sravanthi | IND | 1 | Sangareddy | Isnapur | 3 |
| N Ramesh Kumar | BJP | M Raghavendra | INC | 1 | Mahabubnagar | Mahabubnagar MC | 53 |
| SK Ezas | INC | Tahir Ali Meer | BRS | 1 | Nagarkurnool | Kalwakurthy | 10 |
Six-vote margin most common
Fourteen candidates won by just six votes, the largest common narrow victory margin. The winning candidates included seven from the BRS, four from the Congress and one each from the AIMIM and an Independent candidate.
Mohammad Khaja Shamiya Uddin of the AIMIM defeated Congress’ Gulam Mohammed Ali Shafeek in Nalgonda Municipal Corporation, ward no 29.
| Winner Name | Winning Party | Runners-up Name | Runners-up Party | Victory Margin | Location (Municipality/Ward) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swathi Pabolu | BRS | Krishna Kumari Narendrula | INC | 6 | Yellandu, Ward 18 |
| Venkata Raman | INC | Kothakapa Laxmi Kantha Reddy | BRS | 6 | Waddepalle, Ward 3 |
| Banda Naresh | BRS | Praneeth Kumar Ellandula | BJP | 6 | Huzurabad, Ward 7 |
| Bollu Raju | IND | Janne Naveen | BRS | 6 | Mahabubabad, Ward 28 |
| Pragathi Visarapu | INC | Banoth Jhansi | IND | 6 | Maripeda, Ward 8 |
| Thirumala Vasu Dharavath | BRS | Jarupula Laxmi | INC | 6 | Bellampally, Ward 12 |
| Awari Rajashekar | BRS | Gundeti Shekar | INC | 6 | Medak, Ward 16 |
| Ramunigari Swapna | INC | Bondi Aruna | BRS | 6 | Thoopran, Ward 12 |
| Anji Goud Veeramoni | BRS | Uppala Srinivasulu | INC | 6 | Devarakonda, Ward 18 |
| Bojja Shankaraiah | INC | Bojja Venkataiah | BRS | 6 | Nalgonda MC, Ward 14 |
| Mohammad Khaja Shamiya Uddin | AIMIM | Gulam Mohammed Ali Shafeek | INC | 6 | Nalgonda MC, Ward 29 |
| Akula Yadagiri | BRS | Mohammed Feroz | INC | 6 | Ibrahimpatnam, Ward 19 |
| Potharam Sathish | IND | Dammagouni Ravinder Goud | INC | 6 | Gaddapotharam, Ward 18 |
| Bolli Srinivas | BRS | Gandhe Chiranjeevi | IND | 6 | Husnabad, Ward 13 |
Three-vote margin: BJP wins 2 of seven wards
The second narrowest vote margin was three votes, seen in seven wards. Two BJP candidates, Gidde Vijayalaxmi won the Gummadidala ward no 20 after defeating Congress candidate Shivani Ponnaboina, and Vangeti Prathap Reddy won Jinnaram ward no 2 after defeating BRS’ Sreekanth Bandi.
| S. No. | WinnerName | Party | Runners-up Name | Party | Margin | District | Municipality | Ward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gidde Vijayalaxmi | BJP | Shivani Ponnaboina | INC | 3 | Sangareddy | Gummadidala | 20 |
| 2 | Golla Parvathalu Yadav | INC | Kurpalli Narsing Rao | BJP | 3 | Sangareddy | Jinnaram | 13 |
| 3 | Pendem Padma | INC | Kalyani Mettu | BRS | 3 | Mancherial | Laxettipet | 10 |
| 4 | Vangeti Prathap Reddy | BJP | Sreekanth Bandi | BRS | 3 | Sangareddy | Jinnaram | 2 |
| 5 | Dhondi Kavitha | BJP | Noorjahan Begum MD | BRS | 3 | Nizamabad | Armoor | 16 |
| 6 | Ajay Polneni | BRS | Junuthula Kona Reddy | INC | 3 | Karimnagar | Jammikunta | 4 |
| 7 | Eppa Umarani | IND | Madhavi Ranga | INC | 3 | Kamareddy | Kamareddy | — |
Seven wards each witnessed narrow victories by seven candidates, with three winners each from Congress and the BJP and one from the BRS.
As many as 11 wards were decided by a margin of four votes and nine wards witnessed a five-vote margin difference. Ten wards were decided by a margin of two votes, while another 10 candidates won by eight votes.
Hung results
The Telangana municipal elections saw 36 hung municipalities and corporations. In these cases, according to the State Election Commission, the results will lie in the hands of ex officio members, including MPs, MLAs, Rajya Sabha members and MLCs. They will play a crucial role in selecting the winners (chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, mayors and deputy mayors).
Their role becomes decisive when parties are separated by just one or two wards, opening the door to intense political manoeuvring. However, only those registered as voters within the respective urban local body limits will be eligible to participate, the SEC clarified.
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