Telangana civic polls: Congress takes clear lead, Revanth briefs Priyanka

The ruling Congress party emerged as the clear frontrunner in Telangana’s municipal polls 2026, securing the largest share of wards across urban local bodies, while the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) finished second and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trailed in third place.

According to data released by the Telangana State Election Commission up to 7.30 pm on Friday, 13 February, Congress candidates won 1,500 of the 2,689 wards for which results were declared. The BRS secured victory in 765 wards. Despite expectations of making significant inroads, the BJP won only 286 wards. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) captured 59 wards, while the CPI(M) secured 13.

Counting began at 8.00 am on Friday, with initial trends emerging roughly two hours later as postal ballots were tallied first, followed by regular ballots. In each round, 1,000 ballots were randomly selected and distributed across counting tables. As results were finalised, officials issued certificates to successful candidates and political parties began announcing their winners publicly.

The polls covered 2,569 wards across 116 municipalities and 412 wards in seven municipal corporations. Of the 52,17,413 eligible voters, 38,09,406 cast their ballots, registering a turnout of 73.01 per cent when voting took place earlier in the week.

The newly elected councillors and corporators are scheduled to be sworn in at 11.30 am on 16 February. This will be followed by special meetings in which municipal corporations will elect their mayors and deputy mayors, while municipalities will choose chairpersons and vice-chairpersons.

Following the outcome, Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy travelled to New Delhi, where he met Congress MP and general-secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to discuss the party’s performance. During the interaction, Reddy outlined how the Congress campaign strategy and outreach helped it secure a strong mandate in urban areas, pushing the BJP into third position.

Priyanka Gandhi conveyed her congratulations to party leaders, workers and grassroots activists in Telangana, attributing the result to sustained campaigning and effective engagement with urban voters. She said the verdict reflected increasing public confidence in the Congress government and its emphasis on inclusive governance.

Reddy also briefed her on broader political and administrative developments in the state. He highlighted reforms undertaken to strengthen urban governance, policy initiatives aimed at improving municipal administration, investments drawn to Telangana in recent months and progress in implementing welfare programmes.

The civic poll outcome is expected to bolster the Congress government’s political standing in the state, particularly in urban centres where municipal bodies play a key role in service delivery and infrastructure planning. At the same time, the BRS’s performance suggests it retains a significant support base, while the BJP’s results underline the continuing competition among major parties for influence in Telangana’s evolving political landscape.

With media inputs