BJP rejects Cong ‘victory’, claims vote share surged to 20%

Hyderabad: Seeking to blunt the Congress's post-poll momentum, Telangana BJP chief N Ramchander Rao on Friday dismissed the ruling party's claimed victory in the municipal elections as ‘inflated and aided by misuse of power'.At a press conference, Rao said the results reflected the BJP's steady rise rather than a decisive Congress wave. He pointed out that the party's vote share had increased from 13% to 20%, calling it clear evidence of expanding support, while asserting that the BRS was in decline. He alleged that Congress and BRS secured wins in several places with the backing of Majlis. "Congress and BRS won in many places with the support of Majlis. Urban Naxalites, communists, and AIMIM collaborated to defeat BJP," he said. ‘Fevicol bond'Rao claimed that AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi personally appealed to Muslim voters to support either Congress or BRS, whichever was in second position, to prevent a BJP victory. There was a ‘Fevicol bond' between Congress, BRS and AIMIM, he added. According to him, without Majlis's support, Congress and BRS would not have been able to win in many municipalities. He said the BJP lost narrowly in several places due to Majlis's influence. Turning to the upcoming GHMC elections, Rao alleged that the Congress govt attempted to divide GHMC into three parts to ensure a mayoral seat for Majlis.He also made it clear that in municipalities and corporations with hung verdicts, the BJP would not support any other party. "In municipalities and corporations with hung results, BJP will not support anyone and will not back other parties. In previous local elections in Telangana, BJP achieved good results. Similarly, even if the municipal election results are not as expected, BJP's influence is clearly growing," he said.