Published Feb 17, 2026 | 7:45 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 17, 2026 | 7:45 PM
BRS Mancherial district president Balka Suman accused the police of favouring the Congress. (Balka Suman/X)
Synopsis: Polling was completed in eight on Tuesday. Seven went into the Congress kitty, while Indresham was retained by the BRS. Elections are still pending in Ibrahimpatnam, Kyathanpalli and Khanapur.
Elections to the chairperson and vice-chairperson posts in eight of the 11 municipalities in Telangana were held on Tuesday, 17 February, amid tight security, political slugfests and stray incidents of protests and clashes.
What should have been a routine exercise turned into a high-voltage affair. While some municipalities saw smooth sailing and ended in the Congress’s favour, others went down to the wire. There were denied entries, house arrests, jostling, broken furniture, minor assaults and even lathi-charges. In a few places, the process had to be postponed to another day.
The elections in 11 urban local bodies (ULBs) could not be conducted on Monday, 16 February, due to lack of quorum and law and order concerns. The municipalities affected were Yellandu, Sultanabad, Ibrahimpatnam, Kagaznagar, Kyathanpalli, Khanapur, Zaheerabad, Indresham, Dornakal, Jangaon and Thorrur.
Of these, polling was completed in eight on Tuesday. Seven went into the Congress kitty, while Indresham was retained by the BRS. Elections are still pending in Ibrahimpatnam, Kyathanpalli and Khanapur.
The Congress bagged Yellandu, Sultanabad, Kagaznagar, Zaheerabad, Dornakal, Thorrur and Jangaon. In Indresham, the BRS held its ground by consolidating the backing of councillors and keeping its flock together. The lone win came as a morale booster for the pink party at a time when the going has been tough.
The contests on Tuesday were anything but calm in some politically sensitive pockets. In Thorrur of Warangal district, tension ran high and police presence was beefed up. The BRS had won nine of the 15 wards, while the Congress secured seven.
However, Congress MLA Yashaswini Reddy and MP Kadiyam Kavya exercised their ex officio votes in favour of their party, taking its tally to nine. With numbers evenly stacked and tempers rising, officials resorted to a draw of lots and declared the Congress as the winner.
Former Panchayat Raj Minister and senior BRS leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao was seen in tears after the result went against his party. He was reportedly stopped at the gates of the municipal office, triggering heated exchanges between BRS and Congress workers. The BRS alleged that while its leaders were placed under house arrest, Congress legislators moved about freely.
In Kyathanpalli of Mancherial district, chaos reigned and the election had to be postponed. Congress councillors allegedly damaged furniture, leading to face-offs with BRS members.
Police swung into action and used mild force to bring the situation under control. BRS district president Balka Suman and Asifabad MLA Kova Lakshmi staged a sit-in, accusing the police of tilting the scales in favour of the Congress despite the absence of a clear majority.
Similar wrangles led to postponements in Khanapur, while tension also marked proceedings in Kagaznagar earlier.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
