Hyderabad: In a high-stakes battle for control of urban local bodies, political tensions spilled onto the streets across Telangana on Monday as Congress and BRS scrambled to capture key chairperson posts in municipalities.
Protests, scuffles, allegations of poaching and even missing councillors forced the Telangana State Election Commission to defer elections in 11 municipalities, underscoring the razor-thin margins and intense rivalry shaping the post-poll power struggle. Hyderabad: Tragedy on Road, Election Results, Civic Probe & Crypto Scam Arrests While the SEC conducted election meetings in 123 municipalities and municipal corporations, the process was completed in 112. Of the 24 seats, BRS held 13, Congress 8, BJP 2 and one was an independent, with Malreddy Ranga Reddy as an ex-officio member.
Polls to chairperson and deputy chairperson posts in 11 civic bodies were postponed due to law and order concerns, lack of quorum and internal disputes within parties over candidates. A BRS councillor, Yadagiri, was reported missing and did not attend the meeting, prompting concern from family members. Former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, accompanied by BRS councillors, demanded that the election be conducted, claiming the party had a clear majority and quorum was present. Congress leaders, including Palakurthy MLA Yashaswini Reddy, also reached the municipal office with party workers, triggering slogan-shouting and a minor scuffle. Police resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd, after which authorities postponed the election. In Ibrahimpatnam, the election was deferred amid accusations and counter-accusations of councillor poaching. After a brief postponement and a minor clash between party leaders, officials deferred the election to Tuesday. At Jangaon, a dispute over independent councillors — seen as kingmakers — led to heated confrontations, with rival parties accusing each other of kidnapping independents. Authorities postponed the election citing an untenable situation.