These municipal elections in Telangana were held without including GHMC and the corporations of Khammam and Warangal. So this is not a complete picture of urban Telangana, but still gives a strong indication of the current political mood across the state.
In Telangana, in most major elections, the pro-incumbent factor has worked in recent years. The same trend has continued in these municipal elections. Voters largely supported the ruling party at the state level.
INC Performance: Stable and Consistent
The Congress party has maintained steady momentum across three major elections — Assembly, Lok Sabha, and now Municipal elections. Its vote share has remained around 39–40% in all three elections. This shows consistency and a stable voter base.
At the municipal level, Congress benefited from being the ruling party in the state. Voters appear to have trusted the state government and extended support at the local level as well.
However, there are some warning signs for the Congress:
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In united districts like Adilabad, Nizamabad, and Karimnagar, BJP has a visible presence. This could become a challenge in the next Assembly elections.
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BRS is not politically finished. It still holds a solid vote share. If anti-incumbency builds against the state government in the future, BRS can quickly gain from it.
Congress is currently comfortable, but it cannot ignore regional strengths of its opponents.
BRS Performance: Not Dead, But Not Dominant
BRS improved its vote share in these municipal elections compared to its Lok Sabha performance (which was around 16.6%). In municipal elections, BRS secured around 28% vote share. This shows that its organisation at the local level is still active.
Despite losing badly in the Lok Sabha elections, BRS performed relatively better in municipal elections in terms of both seats and vote share. This indicates that:
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The party still has strong organisational structure.
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It retains support in both rural and urban pockets.
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Local leadership networks are intact.
However, there are serious concerns for BRS:
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Congress has maintained consistent 39–40% vote share across all three elections.
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BRS did not emerge as the single largest party in major municipal corporations.
- The BJP performed better than the BRS in the municipal corporation results. The BJP won 77 wards, while the BRS secured 63 seats. The performance gap was particularly significant in the corporations of Karimnagar and Nizamabad.
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BJP is still performing relatively strong in districts like Karimnagar, Nizamabad, and Adilabad. This divides anti-Congress votes and hurts BRS.
- Surveys and ground research suggest that the BRS is still struggling to attract youth voters, particularly in metro cities. This continues to affect its long-term growth prospects and future expansion.
So, while BRS is not politically finished, it is not yet in a position to challenge Congress strongly across the state.
BJP Performance: Urban Strength, Statewide Weakness
BJP’s vote share dropped significantly from around 35% in the Lok Sabha elections to around 15% in these municipal elections. This shows that its Lok Sabha success was influenced by national factors such as the Modi factor and national issues.
An interesting pattern is visible:
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BJP performs better in corporations like Nizamabad and Karimnagar than in smaller municipalities.Overall, the party secured more wards than the BRS in the municipal corporations.
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Its support base is stronger in urban areas.
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In certain areas with higher Muslim population, BJP vote share is relatively higher due to consolidation of non-Congress votes.
However, there are clear problems for BJP:
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No major improvement compared to Assembly and previous municipal results.
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Weak performance in districts like Khammam, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Medak, and Warangal.
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The party is not yet seen as a pan-Telangana party.
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Its support is concentrated mainly in Hyderabad, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and among youth voters.
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Apart from Lok Sabha elections, voters still see BRS — not BJP — as the main alternative to Congress.
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There is a visible leadership vacuum. No BJP leader currently has mass acceptance comparable to KCR or Revanth Reddy. Though Bandi Sanjay had some acceptance, after his removal as state president, there is no single widely accepted face in the party.
BJP’s growth is real but limited geographically.
Overall Analysis
The results are clearly not encouraging for BRS and BJP individually. But one important number must be noted: the combined vote share of BJP and BRS is close to 43%. This is significant.
If in future elections there is any tactical understanding or vote transfer between BJP and BRS, it can create serious problems for Congress in Assembly elections.
BRS, despite losing all MP segments in the last Lok Sabha elections, performed relatively well in municipal elections due to its strong organisation in both rural and urban areas. However, this performance is neither fully satisfactory nor disastrous. It keeps the party alive but does not put it in a dominant position.
BJP’s performance in Assembly and Municipal elections is still not strong enough. Its Lok Sabha performance was largely driven by national issues and the Modi factor. At the state level, it has not expanded much beyond its core districts.
Final Conclusion
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Congress is stable and benefiting from incumbency.
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BRS is weakened but not finished.
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BJP has urban strength but lacks statewide expansion.
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Combined opposition vote share is still strong enough to challenge Congress in the future.
At present, the advantage is clearly with Congress. But Telangana politics remains fluid. Any future anti-incumbency wave at the state level can quickly change the situation.
Overall Vote Share (Corporations and Municipalities)
Total Votes Polled: 37,81,232
| Party | No. of Votes | Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| INC | 15,05,006 | 39.10% |
| BRS | 10,87,347 | 28.756 |
| BJP | 5,92,823 | 15.678 |
| IND | 3,14,096 | 8.307 |
| AIMIM | 1,24,236 | 3.286 |
| AIFB | 57,129 | 1.511 |
| CPI | 49,450 | 1.308 |
| CPM | 22,048 | 0.583 |
| JSP | 13,504 | 0.357 |
| BSP | 7,715 | 0.204 |
| TRAP | 3,379 | 0.089 |
| AAP | 1,717 | 0.045 |
| DSP | 993 | 0.026 |
| MBT | 502 | 0.013 |
| IUML | 195 | 0.005 |
| ADRP | 178 | 0.005 |
| MzJP | 153 | 0.004 |
| MTRSP | 138 | 0.004 |
| AIMIM Inquilab | 114 | 0.003 |
| MCPIU | 90 | 0.002 |
Vote Share Comparison — INC, BJP, BRS
| Election | INC Vote Share (%) | BJP Vote Share (%) | BRS Vote Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telangana Assembly 2023 | 39.4% | 13.9% | 37.3% |
| (Statewide Assembly polls) | |||
| Indian General Election 2024 (Telangana) | 40.10% | 35.19% | 16.62% |
| (Lok Sabha, Telangana) | |||
| Municipal/Corporation Elections 2026 | 39.10% | 15.68% | 28.76% |
Municipal Corporation Election Results
| Corporation | Congress | BRS | BJP | OTH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karimnagar | 14 | 09 | 30 | 13 |
| Kothagudem | 22 | 08 | 01 | 29 |
| Mancherial | 44 | 08 | 05 | 03 |
| Mahabubnagar | 29 | 15 | 08 | 08 |
| Nizamabad | 17 | 01 | 28 | 14 |
| Ramagundam | 38 | 13 | 01 | 08 |
| Nalgonda | 27 | 09 | 04 | 08 |
| Total | 191 | 63 | 77 | 83 |
Municipal Election Results 2026 :
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Kalyan Chandra
Kalyan chandra is a political strategist, media and communication consultant with the expertise in public relations, marketing, political research, election campaign management, psephology and digital analytics. He focuses on strategic political consulting, offering services that include competitive research, public opinion collection, and digital media management. Kalyan has significantly contributed to successful campaigns across India with his meticulous approach and deep understanding of the political landscape.
