Rangareddy: Evenas the Congress party made a significant gain across the State in the recently concluded Gram Panchayat elections, the result of Rangareddy district stands to draw a moment of introspection for the party leadership as the district saw a handful of 363 out of a total 620 candidates elected through the party’s support.

Moreover, the question regarding who will put a fire in the cadre's belly to strengthen the Congress party in the district has remained unanswered as differences among the leaders in most of the mandals still exist making it hard for the party to form a strong leadership in the next assembly elections.

Out of a total number of eight assembly constituencies in the Rangareddy district that include Ibrahimpatnam, LB Nagar, Maheshwaram, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally, Chevella, Kalwakurthy and Shadnagar, LB Nagar, and Serilingampally are already in GHMC purview. The remaining six constituencies have a total number of 620 GPs that went to poll recently.

However, the BRS too put forth a show of strength by retaining 204 GPs in the district and stood as second in the run. Meanwhile, BJP secured a mere 48 GPs to secure third position in the district.

Although the GP elections were generally fought on individual capacity, most of the candidates have allegiance with ruling or opposition parties to sustain their political career. Since the Rangareddy district is predominantly considered as a bastion of Congress, the BRS party came in to hold the fort in 2014 here, when it came to power. However, the Congress party fought back in 2023 and the result of the recently held gram panchayat elections shows that the tricolour party is gradually regaining strength.

In the first phase of polling, seven mandals such as Farooq Nagar, Shamshabad, Kothur, Nandigama, Keshampet, Kondurg, and Chowder Guda with 174 Gram Panchayats and 1,530 wards went to poll.

Second phase saw polling in another eight mandals such as Moinabad, Shankarpally, Chevella, Shabad, Amangal, Kadthal, and Talakondlapally under Chevella and Kandukur revenue divisions. These mandals together have 178 Gram Panchayats and 1,540 wards.

The third and last phase of polling was held on December 17, in another six mandals such as Abdullapurmet, Ibrahimpatnam, Yacharam, Manchal, Madgul, Maheshwaram, and Kandukur where a total number of 174 Gram Panchayats and 1,598 wards gave a mandate in favour of political parties they favoured the most.