The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has won six Zilla Parishad (ZP) chairperson posts out of nine in the State to which election was held on Saturday. The Congress has won a ZP chairperson post, while election to two ZP chairperson posts was postponed. The ruling party won six ZP chairperson posts, including Warangal, where the Congress has majority of ZPTCs with it. TRS also won Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak, Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar ZPs. The Opposition Congress won Nalgonda ZP. Election to Ranga Reddy ZP was postponed due to lack of quorum and Khammam ZP election did not take place due to court stay.
Padma of TRS became chairperson of Warangal, Dafedar Raju for Nizamabad, Rajamani for Medak, T Uma for Karimnagar and B Bhaskar for Mahabubnagar. Congress ZPTC Balu Naik has been elected Nalgonda ZP chairperson.The Centre’s ordinance on merging seven mandals of Khammam district with AP has caused the postponement of its ZP chairperson election. ZPTCs of the district filed a case on the merger of mandals issue in High Court seeking postponement of ZP chairperson election and got stay order.In Warangal district Congress lost the chairperson post even though it won majority of ZPTCs. Its six candidates and four of Telugu Desam have supported TRS candidate and ensured her win.
In Mahbubnagar district, the ruling party has secured the ZP chairperson post with the help of Congress ZPTCs. Congress won 28 ZPTCs and out of them seven have defected to TRS. Its leaders staged a protest before ZP office alleging that their candidates were kidnapped. The ruling party has secured the support of the Congress and Telugu Desam ZPTC members in three districts and clinched them from the Congress. Unlike the municipal and MPP elections, TRS won the majority with a meticulous strategy.The ruling party’s maneuvers have come under severe criticism from the Congress and Telugu Desam parties. They alleged that the ruling party indulged in immoral activities to secure ZP chairperson posts.However, irrigation minister T Harish Rao rebutted them stating that the Congress and Telugu Desam ZPTCs have supported his party to ensure development. He alleged that Congress and TRS have joined hands in a nauseating way.
