Panchayat election contestants aligned to the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) have captured the most number of sarpanch posts in the just concluded first phase of panchayat elections.
Amid conflicting claims by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janasena, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, advisor to the state government claimed that the ruling party won more than 80 per cent seats.
According to the ruling party's calculations, by 1 a.m. on Wednesday, YSRCP aligned contestants won 2,329 of the 3,249 sarpanch elections in 12 districts.
Reddy mocked TDP leaders alleging that they were celebrating loss and called it a strange development.
"Only Chandrababu has the sobriquet of being a backstabber in this world. TDP is on ventilator, accept your defeat with grace Chandrababu," said Reddy.
He declared that YSRCP is always ready for polls and is never afraid of elections.
Meanwhile, a TDP source claimed that the party won 918 sarpanch posts, including nine more in alliance with the party by 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to the TDP, YSRCP won only 1,259 posts by then while the combination of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janasena won just one sarpanch post.
Meanwhile, Janasena supporters are claiming to have won up to 44 sarpanch posts in the first phase.
Whatever the calculations of each individual party be, one thing was pretty clear, Janasena has replaced TDP in many villages where one community people are higher in numbers.
In a shocking development to TDP, no supporter aligned to the party dared to contest in Kalla village in West Godavari district.
Many leaders who spent decades in the party founded by legendary actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao canvassed with Janasena in these elections.
At several places, vote counting went on till midnight on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
In West Godavari district, police had to deal with some disputes in Kallakuru and Kalla villages over vote counting, which later dissipated.
