C-PAC survey projects BRS comeback with 84 seats in Telangana

A C-PAC opinion poll suggests a dramatic political turnaround in Telangana, projecting the BRS to win 84 Assembly seats if elections were held now. The survey indicates declining support for the Congress government, which is estimated to secure only 22 seats.

Hyderabad: Reversing the 2023 trend, Telangana is witnessing the uprise of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). If latest opinion polls are any indication, the party is emerging as a clear frontrunner in just two years after losing power in the 2023 Assembly elections and is poised to win 84 seats, if elections were to be held now.

A latest opinion poll released by the CivicPoll Analysis Committee (C-PAC) as the Congress government completed its half-term, indicated a dramatic shift in Telangana’s political landscape. The “Mood of Telangana Opinion Poll 2026” projected the BRS winning 84 seats in the 119-member Assembly, well above the majority mark.

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The ruling Congress is expected to secure only 22 seats, while the BJP and AIMIM are estimated to win six seats each. The MBT is projected to win one seat.

An analysis of the survey suggested a significant political revival for the BRS, which was voted out of power in 2023 after a decade-long rule. If these projections translate into electoral results, the party would return to power with a comfortable majority and re-establish itself as the dominant force in Telangana politics.

A key takeaway from the survey is the apparent erosion of support for the Congress government. Having come to power on the back of anti-incumbency against the BRS and promises of governance reforms, the Congress now appears to be facing voter dissatisfaction. The projected fall to 22 seats points to a substantial decline in public confidence in the government’s performance.

The BJP also appears to have suffered a severe setback following recent controversies and failure to live up to people’s aspirations. Surprisingly, CPI, which won one seat in the previous Assembly polls, did not fare well in the latest opinion poll.

The latest findings stand in sharp contrast to C-PAC’s December 2023 Telangana Assembly exit poll, which predicted a Congress victory. The exit poll estimated 66 seats for Congress, 40 for BRS, four for BJP, five for AIMIM, two for BSP, and one seat each for CPI and MBT. The survey reflected the strong anti-incumbency sentiment prevailing against the then-ruling BRS government and broadly captured the political mood that eventually brought the Congress to power.

A comparison of the two surveys reveals the scale of the political turnaround. While Congress was projected to lead by a wide margin in the 2023 exit poll, the 2026 opinion poll placed the BRS far ahead.

Speaking to Telangana Today, psephologist and C-PAC founder Kiran said the survey reflected the current political scenario at the ground level in Telangana.

“The Congress government failed to deliver its promises and meet aspirations of Telangana’s people which was evident in the survey result. Many people assume that the Congress votes might shift to the BJP due to their anger towards the previous BRS government. But it is untrue. Instead, people are shifting back to the BRS,” he said.

He stated that the survey was conducted in May on party-wise performance, and the end result might differ marginally depending on candidates and changing political scenario currently. The results would depend on various factors when the elections are held in December 2028, he added.