HYDERABAD: Stating that the results of the recent gram panchayat elections should be viewed as a referendum on the Congress government’s two-year rule in Telangana, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said voters had reaffirmed their confidence in his government.
Addressing a press conference at his residence here, Revanth said that out of 12,702 gram panchayats, Congress-backed candidates and rebels together had won 8,335 seats, accounting for about 66%. Of these, 7,527 were Congress-backed candidates and 808 were rebels. The remaining 4,221 seats, or about 33%, were won by candidates backed by the BRS and the BJP, with BRS-backed candidates securing 3,511 and those backed by the BJP 710. In 146 seats, or about 1%, candidates backed by the CPI, CPM and other parties were elected.
In an informal interaction with reporters later, he said the government had received the Governor’s clearance to prosecute and file a charge sheet against BRS working president KT Rama Rao in the Formula E case. He added that clearance was awaited from the Department of Personnel and Training to proceed against IAS officer Arvind Kumar, and said due process was being followed.
At the presser, Revanth alleged that the BRS and the BJP had contested the elections together and expressed confidence that the results would be repeated in the 2028 Assembly elections. “Congress will return to power with a two-thirds majority,” he said.
The chief minister recalled that panchayat elections were held across 94 Assembly constituencies, with Congress-backed candidates emerging on top in 87, BRS in six and BJP in one.
Congress improved its position: CM
The chief minister noted that Congress, along with its allies, had won 65 Assembly seats in 2023 and said the result indicated that it had improved its position in another 21 constituencies. He also cited the results of the Cantonment and Jubilee Hills byelections as evidence of support in both rural and urban areas.
Revanth said his government had implemented several election promises and stated that freedom and democracy were an unspoken seventh guarantee that had been implemented. He asserted that the government and party leaders had not misused power during the panchayat elections and said the results placed greater responsibility on the government.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, he said BRS leaders continued to show arrogance despite losing power. He claimed the Congress defeated the BRS when K Chandrasekhar Rao was active in politics and that the result in Gajwel showed people had rejected his leadership when he was inactive.
Revanth said the state planned to develop a zoo over 3,000 acres in the Future City through global tenders. He also said a forensic audit was under way to assess the number of contract and outsourcing staff, and that the government was considering expanding GHMC limits within the ORR to address civic issues.
beside the chatter
A zoo to come up in over 3,000 acres in the proposed Future City
Forensic audit underway to assess contract and outsourcing staff strength, the chief minister said