The Telangana Rashtra Samiti won the posts of chairperson and vice-chairperson of Zilla Parishads (ZPs) unanimously in all the thirty two districts, other than Hyderabad, at special meetings convened by respective district Collectors on Saturday. The election marks the culmination of polls to the governing councils of all the three tiers of rural local bodies -- Gram Panchayats, Mandal Parishads (MPs) and ZPs.
While the polls to Gram Panchayats took place on non-party basis in Januaray, they were held on party symbols for MPs and ZPs on May 6, 10 and 14. But, the counting of votes for elections to MPs and ZPs were taken up only on June 4 in view of Lok Sabha election results. The new MP Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and ZP Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) members elected their chairpersons and vice-chairpersons by show of hands on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Continuing its winning form in the election of MP presidents on Friday, the TRS wrested the chairpersonship of all the 32 ZPs at special meetings held on the basis of an ordinance issued by the government. The ordinance was specially issued since the term of the present local bodies will expire on July 3 and, until then, the newly elected members cannot be sworn in.
Prominent among the chairpersons who were elected included former Transport Minister P. Mahender Reddy’s wife Sunitha from Vikarabad district. She will be serving her third term in the post as she was the chairperson of ZP in the undivided Rangareddy district twice. Former TRS MLAs Kova Laxmi and Putta Madhukar were elected from Komram Bheem Asifabad and Peddapalli districts respectively. Mr. Sandeep Reddy, son of former Minister Uma Madhav Reddy, and Ms. Gandra Jyothi, wife of Congress MLA who defected to TRS G.Venkataramana Reddy, also made it in Yadadri Bhongir and Warangal (Rural) districts respectively.
The TRS announced its candidates only today morning and, thereafter, they got their B-forms from the party’s district in-charges. The party also issued whip to the ZPTCs. The process started with the election of two co-option members and then chairpersons and vice-chairpersons.