Hyderabad:

Even as the counting of votes was continuing in Khamma-Nalgonda-Warangal Graduate constituency of Telangana legislative Council in which the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti candidate was ahead of the BJP-TDP candidate, the opposition parties were celebrating the defeat of TRS in Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mehbubnagar Graduate constituency.

The victory of BJP candidate Ramachandra Rao by more than 13,000 votes has left the TRS in a shock raising questions of people starting to turn against the ruling party.

Ramachandra Rao trounced N Devi Prasad Rao of TRS, who had resigned from government service to enter the fray.

Amid the celebrations by the party cadres, Telangana state BJP President G Kishan Reddy said that the result shows that the people had lost faith in the TRS government.

Deputy floor leader of Congress in Legislative Council Mohammad Ali Shabbir said that the people have taught a lesson to the TRS. “people have rejected the TRS as it failed to keep its big promises. What happened to the promise of a job to every family”? he asked.

TDP MLC A Narsa Reddy hailed the verdict of the people. “In less than nine months of coming to power TRS is facing the anger of the people”, he said.

Meanwhile in the second Graduate Constituency of Telangana, counting of second preference vote was taken up this afternoon as the first preference votes failed to throw up any clear winner.

While it was necessary for a winner to secure minimum 66,777 first preference votes, Palla Rajeswhar Reddy polled only 59,764 and BJP’s E Ramamohan Rao got 47,041. Congress was third with 13,000 votes.

TRS was likely to finally emerge the winner as its candidate requires less number of votes in the second round compared to his nearest rival.

TRS candidate Devi Prasad Rao blamed a “conspiracy” between TDP-BJP alliance and the Congress for defeat in Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahbubnagar constituency. “Congress colluded with BJP to defeat me”, he said.

BJP workers took out a procession to celebrate the party’s victory and triumphant candidate Ramachandra Rao was garlanded everywhere. Ramachandra Rao along with senior party leaders Bandaru Dattatreya and K Lakshman met Telugu Desam President and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and thanked him for his support.

Meanwhile in Andhra Pradesh, it was a mixed bag for the ruling Telugu Desam Party as it won the Krishna Guntur Teachers constituency seat but lost the East and West Godavari teacher constituency.

In the second constituency, Ramu Surya Rao of United Teachers Federation defeated TDP-backed candidate KVV Satyanarayana Raju, causing an embarrassment to the ruling party.

In Krishna-Guntur constituency A S Ramakrishna of TDP emerged victorious.