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Congress has managed to set their foot in Telangana by comfortably crossing the halfway mark as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) witnessed a huge loss.
The Congress won 64 seats in the 119-seat Telangana Assembly. The BRS, meanwhile, came a distant second, winning 39 seats, according to data published by the Election Commission of India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won eight All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won seven and the Communist Party of India (CPI) won one seat.
The Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS has been in power since 2014, when Telangana was granted statehood and won the 2018 elections. The BRS fell to half the mark from the 2018 elections when it had secured 88 seats. The Congress was runners up with 19 seats, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won just two seats.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi, now renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi, had spearheaded the statehood movement. After the state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, it had the unquestioned support of the people for a decade.
However, many feel that the anti-incumbency factor worked for Congress in Telangana. Massive policing in the state was also one of the factors that might have worked against the KCR government.
However, since the separation, KCR’s policing policies have been questioned and is said to be one of the reasons why the people did not want him back. There were also various other factors like corruption charges against KCR and party members, which might have shifted the mood.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted on the social media platform X, thanking people of Telangana as the party headed towards a landslide victory in the state with a lead in 64 of the total 119 seats.
“I am very thankful to the people of Telangana - we will definitely fulfill the promise of making Prajalu Telangana," Gandhi wrote.
Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy addressed a press conference in Hyderabad as the party heads towards a landslide victory in the state. While thanking Rahul Gandhi, he assured people of development in the state post this victory.
“If there is any difficulty, we will be by your side. I have to thank Rahul Gandhi for being the support behind me and my friend (Congress legislative party leader Bhatti Vikarmarka) to fight this election,” Reddy said.
While dedicating this victory to all those who lost their lives for the cause of Telangana he said, “This victory will drive the party forward. We will use this victory to re-energise Telangana and develop the state. We will set an example for the rest of the country of revolutionary spirit. The Congress will set an example of a state that protects human rights. Everyone will be heard,” Reddy said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meanwhile took to X, averring they will keep working for the people of Telangana. “Our bond with Telangana is unbreakable and we will keep working for the people,” PM Modi posted on the social media platform X, as Congress headed towards a landslide victory in the state.
“Thank you for your support to BJP. Over the last few years, this support has only been increasing and this trend will continue in the times to come. I also appreciate the industrious efforts of each and every BJP Karnataka,” the BJP wrote.
Many praised Congress for further cementing its position in South India after the massive Karnataka win. The win should provide some succour for the national party after it looks like it will lose in a big way in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
