Telangana

A retired employee protested delays in payment of statutory retirement benefits by dropping a handwritten letter in a ballot box along with his vote. The note, found during counting in Luxettipet, reflected growing frustration among pensioners

A victory rally by newly elected BRS councillor Pasikanti Ramya in Sircilla’s 31st ward turned violent on Friday when Congress activists allegedly attacked the procession.

In Medak municipality, BRS secured 15 of the 32 wards, including victories by Batti Lalitha and her son Uday from the 17th and 29th wards respectively.

Congress registered a sweeping victory in Khammam district, winning all five municipalities, including 24 of 32 wards in Edulapuram. The party’s total tally across Wyra, Edulapuram, Sathupalli, Kallur, and Madhira stood at 83 wards.

The Excise Special Task Force in Hyderabad seized 92 bottles of non-duty-paid liquor and three cars during a special drive near Pahadi Shareef.

Osmania University postponed PG first-semester exams scheduled for February 19 to the first week of March following student protests over incomplete syllabus.

Residents of Yellagiri in Choutuppal mandal, Nalgonda district, rushed out of their homes late Friday evening after tremors shook the area. The panic was triggered by a reactor blast at a private chemical factory nearby.

Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy from Munugode has once again issued a stern warning to the party, demanding a cabinet post. Speaking at a victory rally in Choutuppal, he declared that he would either become a minister soon or even the Chief Minister if sidelined.

The Medak municipality has entered a phase of political uncertainty with no party securing a clear majority. The BRS won 15 wards, while Congress secured 14. The balance shifted when BSP councillor-elect Bujarampet Aruna joined Congress, bringing both parties to equal strength.

Despite being in power, the Congress failed to convert municipal polls into a clean sweep, as the BRS staged a strong comeback from the opposition, retaining its urban base and signalling growing public discontent midway through the government’s term

In a dramatic turn of events, the BRS clinched victories in three wards across Medak district that ended in ties after multiple rounds of counting. In Dubbak, Toopran and Narsapur municipalities, Returning Officers resorted to coin tosses and drawing lots to break deadlocks between BRS and Congress candidates.

For the first time, the Maha Shivaratri jatara of the Sri Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple in Vemulawada will be held at the Bheemeshwara Swamy temple due to ongoing renovation works. Scheduled from February 14 to 16, the three-day fair is expected to draw lakhs of devotees from Telangana and neighbouring states.

The BRS has won both municipalities in the Gajwel constituency, represented by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. In Gajwel, the party secured 11 of 20 wards, while Congress won seven, BJP one, and an Independent one.

Despite being in power and mounting an aggressive campaign, the Congress failed to replicate the BRS’s 2020 municipal sweep, with the opposition putting up a strong fight and preventing a landslide, reflecting growing public unease with the ruling party

Former MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao accused the Congress of kidnapping BRS corporator Guguloth Rambabu from the 32nd division of Kothagudem Municipal Corporation. The incident reportedly occurred while Rambabu was at the former MLA’s residence in Old Paloncha.

The Kothagudem Municipal Corporation delivered a hung verdict with Congress and CPI winning 22 divisions each, BRS eight, independents six, and BJP one.

The civic poll results in erstwhile Adilabad district dealt a setback to the ruling Congress, which had predicted a strong performance. Six municipalities, including Adilabad and Bhainsa, delivered hung verdicts, leaving independents, BJP and AIMIM in decisive positions.

Kamalapuram Gitanjali, wife of suspended constable Ramesh, won a ward in Cheriyal Municipality for the BRS, overcoming allegations, pressure and controversy, as the party secured a majority and prepared to form the civic body

Tension gripped Khammam after BRS and CPI (M) cadres staged a protest at the Edulapuram counting centre, accusing election officials of bias for refusing recount requests in wards where BRS candidates lost by narrow margins of five and eight votes.

Forest officials in Telangana have stepped up efforts to capture a tiger that has been roaming across Siddipet, Jangaon and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts for over a month, killing 18 cattle in 12 villages.

Tension flared in Jangaon after Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy allegedly attempted to abduct an independent candidate who had pledged support to the BRS.

BRS Legislature Party deputy leader T Harish Rao described the party’s victory in over 700 municipal wards as a clear sign of public dissatisfaction with the Congress government in Telangana. He vowed that BRS would continue to hold the Congress accountable.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao dismissed Congress’s claim of a landslide victory in the Telangana municipal polls, arguing that the ruling party secured only about 60 per cent of urban local bodies. He highlighted hung verdicts in several councils and accused Congress of irregularities and inducements.

The BRS claimed victory in 11 of the 19 municipalities in the erstwhile Medak district, securing majorities in Cheriyal, Dubbak, Gajwel, Toopran, Gaddapotharam and Gummadidala. With support from Independents, the party is set to form municipal bodies in Zaheerabad, Medak, Indresham, Isnapur and Jinnaram.