Telangana Assembly election results 2018: K Chandrashekar Rao's surging popularity likely to bring TRS a clean sweep

Early trends show that incumbent Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s (KCR) Temangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) looks set to sweep the elections in the state by defeating the Congress-led grand alliance. The gamble for early polls appears to have paid for TRS  with most exit polls having predicted his win due to his surging popularity. KCR had dissolved the Assembly in September, eight months before its term was to end. The party appears to be emerging towards a two-thirds majority in the 119-member Assembly. According to India Today updates, TRS was leading in 93 Assembly constituencies at 11 am while the BJP stranded with a lead in just two seats. The Congress alliance has managed to get a lead of 17 in early trends. [caption id=“attachment_4960851” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. Twitter/@TenalangaCMO[/caption] The Congress-led People’s Front, which comprises N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Telangana Jan Samithi (TJS), was leading in just 17 places. As many as 73.20 percent of 2.80 crore electorate had voted in the elections held in all 119 constituencies on Friday. The alliance blamed the Election Commission for its poor performance in the state and had said that 22 lakh names were deleted from its electoral rolls, reports News 18.  Many top leaders of Congress were trailing in their constituencies while TDP, TJS and CPI were not leading in any of the constituencies they contested. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), in the meanwhile, was leading in three segments and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in four. KCR’s daughter K Kavitha said there was no doubt that the party would retain power with a huge majority.  Kavitha, a member of the Lok Sabha, said there was no anti-incumbency as the TRS government had done well on all fronts during the last four-and-a-half years.

People of Telangana have witnessed years of Hardwork Put in by KCR garu both in achieving statehood & putting it in the growth path.I believe people of Telangana will stand with him & work hand in hand with him to take Telangana to much greater heights. Jai Telangana !! pic.twitter.com/xoszfgO3Sf

— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) December 11, 2018

Celebrations have already begun in the TRS Bhavan hours after the early trends showed the party’s probable win. 

Telangana: TRS members celebrate outside party office in Hyderabad as the party leads in trends. #AssemblyElections2018 pic.twitter.com/dJIxlJF3Tf

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018

Speaking to India Today, Sanjay Jha that the initial trends from Telangana are highly disappointing. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s Uttar Kumar Reddy told _ANI, “_I am having doubts on results we’re getting in Telangana ballot paper counting. We’re doubting that tampering could have been done in EVMs”.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee's Uttam Kumar Reddy on #AssemblyElection2018 results: I am having doubts on results we're getting in Telangana ballot paper counting. We're doubting that tampering could have been done in EVMs. Slips should be counted in VVPATs. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/oqGpsaikjf

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2018