Saffron Surge in Karimnagar, Cong Scores in Ramagundam

Karimnagar: The political landscape of North Telangana shifted significantly on Friday as the BJP captured the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation for the first time in its history.

While the BJP celebrated a landmark victory in the political nerve centre of the region, the ruling Congress party asserted its dominance in the industrial belt by securing a landslide victory in the Ramagundam Municipal Corporation.

In a remarkable electoral feat, the BJP jumped from having just two corporators in the past to grabbing the mayor’s seat in the 66-division Karimnagar Corporation. Under the aggressive leadership of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the saffron party secured 33 seats, leaving Congress with 16 and reducing the BRS to a mere six seats.

Bandi Sanjay, who campaigned extensively in every corner of the city, successfully tapped into a shift in the BRS vote bank and a portion of the Congress share. Political analysts noted that the absence of top BRS leaders like KTR and Harish Rao during the campaign, despite an earlier planned visit by KTR being withdrawn, left the local BRS cadre struggling. This victory marks the first time the BJP has won a Corporation seat in the North Telangana region, cementing its position as a major alternative.

Meanwhile, in Ramagundam, the Congress party proved its strength in the Singareni coal belt. Out of 60 divisions, Congress secured a commanding 38 seats, comfortably crossing the ‘magic figure’ of 31 required for the Mayor post. The BRS finished a distant second with 13 seats, while the BJP managed only one seat, and eight went to independent candidates and others.

A historic highlight in Ramagundam was the unanimous election of Congress candidate Madipalli Vijaya Mallesh from the 1st Division. This marks the first time a candidate has been elected unopposed in the history of the erstwhile Karimnagar district. In a rare gesture, rival candidates withdrew their nominations as a tribute to Mallesh’s public service, allowing him to win without a single vote being cast.

The competition in Ramagundam was particularly fierce, with 60 candidates from Congress and 56 each from BRS and BJP in the fray. Despite the BRS’s confidence in its previous performance, the electorate shifted heavily toward the ruling Congress. With the results now finalised, both corporations are preparing for the formal election of mayors and deputy mayors scheduled for February 16.