Municipal polls: BRS reasserts dominance in erstwhile Medak

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi retained its dominance in the erstwhile Medak district, winning six municipalities outright and leading in several others. Senior leaders including T Harish Rao and K Chandrashekhar Rao played a key role in the party’s performance

Sangareddy: The erstwhile Medak district, once the epicentre of the Telangana movement, has once again proved to be a stronghold of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

At a time when the ruling Congress allegedly used power, money and liquor to tilt the scales against the opposition, the BRS, under the leadership of former Minister T Harish Rao, scored over the Congress in Medak. Harish Rao, who guided party leaders through constant coordination and campaigned extensively by addressing multiple corner meetings a day as polling day approached, played a key role in the party’s performance.

---

The results reflected that effort, with the BRS securing six municipalities with an outright majority and winning a majority of wards in five other municipalities out of a total of 19. The party leadership is making all-out efforts to form municipal bodies in the remaining five municipalities with the support of Independents and smaller parties.

In Siddipet district, the BRS won three municipalities, Cheriyal, Gajwel and Dubbak, out of four, where the presence of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and Harish Rao proved to be a decisive factor. The party lost Husnabad, the headquarters of Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar’s constituency.

In the Gajwel Assembly constituency, represented by Chandrashekhar Rao, the BRS won two municipalities, Gajwel and Toopran, the latter falling in Medak district.

In Sangareddy district, the BRS secured Gaddapotharam and Gummadidala with a comfortable majority and won a majority of wards in Zaheerabad, Indresham, Isnapur and Jinnaram. The party, however, lost Andole-Jogipet, the headquarters of Health Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha’s constituency, as well as Narayankhed and Kohir.

In Medak district, the BRS won Toopran comfortably and secured a majority of seats in Medak, but lost Ramayampet.

However, the party still has a chance in Narsapur, where no single party secured a majority. A major disappointment for the BRS was Sangareddy, the largest municipality in the district, and Sadasivapet, where the party had expected strong prospects but lost to the ruling Congress.