GHMC polls: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Chief resigns after election drubbing

Following the Congress party's abysmal performance in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Poll (GHMC) elections, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President N Uttam Kumar Reddy tendered his resignation on Friday evening. This comes after the grand-old-party failed to make a dent in the rigorously-campaigned civic polls managing to win only 2 seats in the 150 wards municipal body. 

Tendering his resignation, N Uttam Kumar Reddy wrote, "I have submitted my resignation from the post of President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee. I have requested the AICC to take up the process of selection of new President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee immediately." 

Earlier in the day, sacked Congress leader Sanjay Jha had mocked Congress' poor performance in the GHMC polls asking if the grand-old party was implementing Prime Minister Modi's "Congress mukt Bharat." "Is the Congress party pledging to implement Mr Modi’s call for Congress Mukt Bharat? All those cowardly sycophants who criticised G-23 as “BJP agents”, it is time you apologised. The party is in peril," he tweeted.

Read: GHMC Results: Sanjay Jha Asks If Congress Is Implementing PM's 'Cong Mukt Bharat' Dream?

Read: GHMC Election Results 2020 LIVE Updates: TRS Wins 53 Seats, AIMIM 42, BJP 35, Congress 2

GHMC Results

Counting of the votes has been completed in 132 of the 150 wards municipal body out of which the TRS has won 53 seats, AIMIM 42, BJP 35 and the Congress 2. With the BJP managing to make inroads into the local body, celebrations broke out at the saffron party's office. Counting in 18 wards is still underway. Ballot papers were used for the poll and consequently, the results are likely to be known only in the evening or in the night.

Though the run-up to the poll saw a high pitched campaign by the parties, the turnout of the voters on December 1 was an unimpressive 46.55 per cent (34.50 lakh) out of the total 74.67 lakh voters. The current term of the GHMC council ends in February 2021 and in the 2016 elections, AIMIM won 44 seats, TRS won 99. BJP won 4 seats, Congress won 2 and TDP won one seat.

Read: Amid GHMC Counting, BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind Says Telangana Will Gift PM 15 Seats In 2024

Read: With TRS Leading, Telangana Minister Questions BJP Leadership's Involvement In GHMC Polls