AP polls: Cong sway continues, TDP recovers some prestige

Hyderabad, July 4 (UNI) While the ruling Congress continued its domination of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh, the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) bounced back, gaining at the cost of the separatist TRS in Telangana, as counting of votes for the two-phase Panchayatiraj Bodies polls progressed at snail's pace today.

The Congress won 61 of 86 ZPTC seats and 2318 of 3687 MPTC seats while the TDP got 22 ZPTC and 1637 MPTC seats, the results of which were declared by the State Election Commission this evening.

Counting trends suggested while the Congress improved its performance compared to the 2001 polls, the TDP, which had received a severe drubbing in all elections since the Assembly polls, gained in Telangana, where the Congress had aligned with the separatist TRS.

The TDP bagged 135 MPTC seats as against 96 by the Congress in Rangareddy district.

There was a keen contest between the TDP and the Congress in West Godavari, where the TDP won 215 MPTC seats so far against 212 seats by the Congress. In Visakhapatnam, the opposition party got 97 seats so far against 110 secured by the ruling party.

In Kadapa, the home district of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the ruling Congress bagged 13 out of 50 ZPTC seats, results of which were declared so far. The CPI(M), the TDP's poll ally, got two ZPTC seats as the TDP won the other ZPTC seat declared in Khammam, considered the stronghold of the Marxist party.

The CPI(M) was successful in 86 MPTCs, followed by CPI 69, TRS 48, BJP 21 and BSP 10, the results of which were declared so far.

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