YSRCP SWEEPS ANDHRA LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

HYDERABAD: The ruling YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh secured a landslide victory in the elections held to Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishad (block parishads), the counting for which was held on Sunday.

The YSRCP won 547 out 553 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) seats and 7,284 out of 8,063 Mandal Parishads Territorial Constituencies (MPTC), results for which were declared till 7.30 pm. Counting for the pending 88 ZPTCs and 1,504 MPTCs was underway, when the reports last came in, according to the state election commission.

The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won only three ZPTCs and 675 MPTCs. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partner Jana Sena drew a blank in Zilla Parishads, it won 23 and 85 seats in the Mandal Parishad elections, respectively.

State panchayat raj and rural development minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy said the poll outcome proved that chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had gained the trust of the people by fulfilling the election promises. “The results clearly show that the TDP has lost the people’s support,” he added. However, TDP spokesman and former minister S Chandramohan Reddy dismissed YSRCP’s claims of a landslide victory. He reminded the ruling party that the TDP had boycotted the local body polls after its representation against the poll irregularities earlier fell on deaf ears. “It is an open secret that the ruling YSRCP resorted to threats, intimidation and forced unanimous results in many places. They misused the police and the official machinery without any shame,” he said.