BRS alleges money, police misuse after Congress sweeps Telangana civic polls

A political row erupted in Telangana after the ruling Congress secured a decisive victory in the recent municipal elections, with the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) alleging misuse of money and government machinery during the polls.

The Congress won 1,300 of the 2,582 wards across 116 municipalities where elections were held, emerging as the clear winner in the urban local body polls. The BRS secured around 700 wards, while the Bharatiya Janata Party won about 275 wards.

BRS leader Anand Kumar Goud accused the ruling party of influencing the outcome of the elections by using official machinery, including the police.

“Today, in the Telangana Municipal Election, we have seen the results. What all is the Congress government doing? They are using the police, they are using the officers,” Goud said after the counting of votes began.

He further alleged that the Congress relied on “rigging”, “rowdyism” and distribution of money to secure its tally, and claimed that a BRS corporator had been kidnapped. Goud asserted that the BRS’s performance was achieved without what he described as illicit tactics and inducements.

Taking aim at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Goud said that BRS founder K. Chandrashekar Rao, popularly known as KCR, continued to hold a strong place in the hearts of the public.

“Revanth Reddy, why don’t you win? The public has KCR in their hearts. No one will forget KCR in Telangana,” he said.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao also alleged misuse of money power, administrative machinery and “intimidation tactics” by the Congress government.

The ruling Congress, however, rejected the criticism and hailed the results as an endorsement of its governance. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy credited the victory to what he described as the tireless efforts of lakhs of party workers.

“Through this verdict, people have given their complete approval to two years of people’s governance in the state, to the welfare programmes for the poor and middle class, and to the development initiatives implemented with world-class planning and execution,” he said in a post on X.

There was no immediate official response from the Congress to the specific allegations raised by BRS leaders.

- Ends