Congress Takes Lead in Telangana, BRS Struggles to Hold Ground

Hyderabad: The Congress has taken the lead in Telangana as the vote counting is underway, with early trends showing them ahead on 71 seats, three more than the majority. The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) is currently trailing with 31 seats. If this trend continues, it will mark the first time a party other than BRS holds power in the state since its inception in 2014.

Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal Jain expressed confidence in her party’s victory, stating they are poised to form the government. She emphasized that the Congress is open to collaboration but ruled out any poaching operations.

The ruling BRS, facing anti-incumbency sentiments, relied on welfare measures such as the Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima schemes for farmers, Dalit and BC Bandhu schemes, and the Gruha Lakshmi scheme for housing the poor. Exit polls suggest a narrow Congress victory, projecting 62 seats for Congress and a reduced count of 44 seats for BRS.

The voter turnout for the November 30 election was 71.34%, slightly lower than in 2018. In the previous elections, TRS secured 88 seats, Congress got 19, Telugu Desam Party won two, AIMIM claimed seven, and the BJP secured only one seat.