BRS bags key gram panchayats in Suryapet dist

BRS registered significant gains in the first phase of gram panchayat elections in Suryapet, securing Ballemela and 11 other villages by evening. Despite intense competition across 181 seats, early trends show the party holding strong leads across the district

Suryapet: With results of the first phase of gram panchayat elections trickling in from key districts, including Suryapet, the BRS ranks have begun celebrating notable victories. The party has secured Ballemela village and 11 other gram panchayats in Suryapet district as per results declared by 6.30 pm.

Officials reported high-stakes drama in several rural pockets, where local rivalries and party loyalties played a decisive role in influencing outcomes.

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In Ballemela, the native village of Patel Ramesh Reddy, chairman of the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and a prominent Congress leader, the BRS candidate emerged victorious in the Sarpanch election. Local sources termed the win a “major setback” for Reddy, whose influence in Suryapet politics has been considerable since his switch from the TDP to the Congress in 2017. BRS senior leader and former Minister G Jagadish Reddy spearheaded the party’s campaign across Suryapet, Nalgonda and Yadadri Bhongir districts.

Suryapet district has remained a stronghold for the BRS, with Jagadish Reddy retaining the Suryapet Assembly constituency in the December 2023 elections despite the party suffering setbacks in other rural segments. The district, with 181 Sarpanch seats notified, saw intense competition, with 1,447 nominations filed. Early trends indicate overwhelming leads for the BRS.