GP polls: BRS-backed candidate wins in Suryapet village day after party worker’s murder

A day after a local BRS leader was murdered in Lingampally, the village backed BRS-supported candidate Madasu Chinna Venkanna, who won the sarpanch election by 96 votes. The poll was held under heavy security as tensions remained high and Congress faced public anger

Suryapet: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)-supported candidate, Madasu Chinna Venkanna, emerged victorious in the keenly contested sarpanch election held in Lingampally village of Nadanakal mandal under Thungathurthi Assembly constituency in Suryapet district. Chinna Venkanna secured a convincing majority of 96 votes, dealing a political blow to the ruling Congress in the village where, just 24 hours earlier, local BRS leader Mallaiah was hacked to death by Congress workers.

The murder of Mallaiah on Tuesday night had sent shockwaves across the region and sparked intense political outrage. Local BRS leaders accused senior Congress functionaries of orchestrating the brutal killing over political rivalry. Despite escalated tensions gripping the village, the gram panchayat elections proceeded as scheduled on Thursday.

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Villagers turned out in large numbers to vote for the BRS-backed candidate as a mark of protest against the violence. Police had registered a case of murder and several Congress-linked individuals were taken into custody for questioning.

Heavy police deployment was maintained in and around Lingampally throughout the polling and counting process to prevent any untoward incidents.