TRS Wins 4 MLC Seats, Congress Grabs Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar

Hyderabad: The ruling TRS continued its winning spree by grabbing four out of six MLC seats for which elections were held on Sunday.The party had already won six seats unanimously. However, the Congress saved its face by winning Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar seats. Congress candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy secured an impressive majority of 192 votes against the ruling party in Nalgonda.

The counting of votes started at 8am on Wednesday and the results were out within three hours. While result of five seats was clear in the first round, Mahbubnagar's second seat took second preferencial votes for the final result declaring Damodar Reddy the winner.

TRS proved its strength in Khammam by winning the MLC seat. Its candidate Balasani Lashminarayana won the election with a majority of 31 votes against the opposition-backed CPI candidate Puvvada Nageshwara Rao. The TRS got 313 votes, CPI 275 and YSR Congress Party 102 votes.

In Nalgonda, Congress candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy emerged the winner defeating TRS candidate Tera Chinnapreddy by a majority of 192 votes. Congress got 616 votes as against TRS's 449 while 26 votes went invalid. Of all the 12 MLC seats that went for election this time, Nalgonda was taken seriously by the ruling party and the Opposition Congress. A majority of 192 votes Congress has secured was more than impressive.

Another achievement for the TRS was it won both the seats in Ranga Reddy district. Patnam Narender Reddy and Shambipur Raju of TRS defeated their Congress and TDP rivals respectively.

Brilliant Educational Institutes' founder Kasireddy Narayana Reddy of TRS won a seat with 65 votes majority in Mahbubnagar while another seat has gone to Congress. Damodhar Reddy of Congress won by the second preference votes.

Although it won four out of six, ruling TRS was bit shocked as it was hoping to win all the six. However, in the wake of a series of defeats, the Congress forces had come together to win at least Nalgonda, but to its surprise the party also won a bonus Mahbubnagar seat. The most disappointed was TDP which could not secure considerable number of votes in any constituency.

In the local bodies constituencies, members of Mandal and Zilla Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs and ZPTCs) exercised their votes nearly 98 percent.