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Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party, after a poor showing in the local body elections, has surprised the opposition by taking the top post in the Warangal district council.
Thanks to the support of three rebel members of the opposition Congress, the TDP nominee was elected chairperson of the zilla parishad.
The party took advantage of the lack of understanding between the Congress and the newly formed Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
The TDP thus bagged 11 zilla parishads in the elections held on Monday. The Congress won seven while the TRS captured the Nizamabad council.
Election to the posts of chairperson in three districts was postponed to July 28 amidst high drama and allegations of abductions of some key players.
In the Vizianagaram district council, Congress candidate B Jhansi Lakshmi became the chairperson by a draw of lots. The TDP got the post of vice chairperson by the same method. The TDP and the Congress had won 17 seats each in the 34-member council.
As expected, the TDP bagged the posts of chairperson in Adilabad, Mahabubnagar, Srikakulam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Anantapur and Kurnool districts. Congress nominees were elected chairperson in Visakhapatnam, Nellore, Cuddapah, Nalgonda, Medak and Khammam.
Elections in Karimnagar, Chittoor and Ranga Reddy have been postponed due to lack of quorum. The posts of chairperson in Chittoor and Ranga Reddy are likely to go to the Congress, while the TRS has an edge in Karimnagar.
In Warangal, TDP's E Basava Reddy was elected chairperson when three dissident Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency members from the Congress switched loyalties to the ruling party even as the Congress and TRS members abstained. The TDP candidate was elected despite the fact that the TRS and the Congress had a clear majority of 27 in the 50-member ZPTC.
The TDP had won 21 seats and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, two seats.
The Congress, which had 15 seats, was expecting support from the 12 members of the TRS. The two parties decided not to attend the meeting hoping that the election would be postponed due to lack of quorum. Three rebels from the Congress camp, however, attended the meeting and thus provided the necessary quorum. They did not participate in the voting but their presence ensured the election of the TDP nominee. In return, the TDP supported a rebel Congress candidate for the post of vice chairperson.
Indo-Asian News Service
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