BRS bags Ibrahimpatnam, Kyathanpally civic bodies; Khanapur poll today

Hyderabad: BRS registered key gains in municipal elections on Saturday securing chairperson post in Ibrahimpatnam and Kyathanpally municipalities. However, elections to the chairperson and vice-chairperson posts in Khanapur municipality in Nirmal district were postponed to Sunday following disruptions.In Ibrahimpatnam, in Rangareddy district, BRS leader Tekula Sudarshan Reddy was elected chairperson, while BJP candidate Muthyala Shamala secured the vice-chairperson post. In Kyathanpally, in Mancherial district, BRS candidate Godisela Sandhya Rani won the chairperson election, with CPI nominee Mittapalli Saritha elected as vice-chairperson. Congress councillors abstained from the Kyathanpally election.The elections in these three municipalities had earlier been deferred in Feb. Polling in Ibrahimpatnam was postponed following a stay order by the Telangana HC over allegations of a councillor's kidnapping. In the other two municipalities, elections were delayed due to lack of quorum and law-and-order concerns.Congratulating the winners, BRS working president K T Rama Rao described the outcome as a "triumph of democracy". He stated that despite alleged "misconduct" by the ruling party, BRS had succeeded in securing key municipal positions.In a post on X, KTR praised the role of CPI members in Kyathanpally, calling their efforts "inspiring". He further claimed that the results reflected growing public resistance to "suppression, threats, corruption, and undemocratic actions", adding that they signalled a political setback for the Congress in Telangana.Congress leaders, however, accused the BRS of opportunistic alliances and unfair practices. Mettu Sai Kumar, chairman of the Telangana Fisheries Corporation, alleged that BRS secured Ibrahimpatnam with BJP support and resorted to intimidation in Kyathanpally with CPI backing. He further claimed that BRS and BJP had collaborated during the 2024 Lok Sabha and subsequent local elections, urging the public to recognise what he termed "collusion politics".The Congress had earlier recorded a strong performance in the Feb municipal elections, winning around 83–84 of 116 municipalities and six of seven municipal corporations. BRS secured about 13 municipalities independently, increasing its tally to 17 through post-poll alliances.In Khanapur, tensions arose when Congress ex-officio member Vedma Bhojju objected to officials asking BJP candidate Ankam Mounika to demonstrate her majority first based on alphabetical order, with seven councillors backing her. Bhojju insisted that the Congress candidate be given the opportunity instead and entered the officials' podium, violating procedural norms.Following the disruption, BRS and BJP members staged a protest, accusing Congress leaders of obstructing the process and officials of failing to ensure a smooth election. They claimed that together they commanded eight of the 12 votes required to win the chairperson post.