In the first phase of Telangana Gram Panchayat elections, Congress surged ahead with over 2,000 wins, outpacing BRS and BJP. Early trends indicate deep rural support for the ruling party.

Congress Leads in Telangana’s First Gram Panchayat Poll Phase

The opening phase of Telangana’s Gram Panchayat elections delivered a strong boost to the ruling Congress, with early tallies placing the party well ahead of its rivals across 4,236 village bodies. Of these, 395 Sarpanches were elected unopposed, while the remaining seats saw brisk polling and competitive contests.

Media estimates suggest Congress secured between 2,000 and 2,236 Panchayats, giving it a commanding lead. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which once dominated rural Telangana, followed with roughly 975 to 1,131 seats, and the BJP trailed with 150 to 181.

Although Panchayat polls are officially non-party elections, the outcome is widely viewed as an early report card for Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s administration, nearly a year after its 2023 Assembly victory. Congress leaders say the results validate recent welfare schemes and governance decisions, while BRS leaders point to improvements over their 2019 performance as a sign of continued relevance in large pockets of the state.

With two more phases remaining, political observers note that the first round offers a clear snapshot of strong rural confidence in the ruling party, even as the opposition hopes to regain ground in the coming stages.

The initial trends underline how rapidly Telangana’s rural political mood has shifted. Congress appears to be capitalising on early governance momentum, while BRS’s mixed performance shows both erosion and resilience. For BJP, the modest numbers reaffirm the party’s challenge in penetrating village-level politics.

The remaining phases will reveal whether this early surge for the ruling party is a one-off wave or the start of a deeper rural consolidation ahead of future statewide contests.