The Congress, which suffered heavy losses in the three Sates in the Hindi heartland, tasted success in Telangana by securing 64 seats, four seats more than the magic figure of 60 seats in the 119-seat Assembly, ending the 10-year rule of BRS.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) suffered a humiliating defeat by losing about 50 seats it won in the 2018 elections, while Congress increased its tally by 45 seats from 19 in 2018. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan has accepted the resignation of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday evening.

According to the Election Commission, Congress has won 62 seats, and is leading in 2 more constituencies, while the BRS won 34 seats, and is leading in 5 constituencies. The BJP bagged 8 seats and is leading in one more constituency, and the MIM secured 2 seats and is leading in 2 constituencies. The CPI, which has a pre-poll pact with Congress, clinched the lone seat that it contested.

BRS President and outgoing Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao retained his Gajwel seat but lost in Kamareddy, the second constituency he contested from to BJP candidate Venkata Ramana Reddy.

Addressing a press conference, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President A Revanth Reddy termed that the people had “restored democracy in Telangana”. “We will honour the six guarantees made by us and we assure people that we will protect civil rights,” he said.

“We will make Pragati Bhavan (the CM’s Camp Office) People’s Bhavan, giving free access to people,” he said.

The results mirrored the predications made in several exit polls, reflecting a strong anti-incumbancy sentiment in the State. Though the BJP increased its seats and voteshare, three of its Lok Sabha MPs — D Arvind, B Sanjay and Soyam Bapu Rao — were defeated.

BRS Working President K T Rama Rao has accepted the defeat and congratulated the Congress for its victory. “Not saddened over the result today, but surely disappointed. We will voice people’s issues as a responsible oppositin,” he said, commenting on the results.

The anti-incumbancy wave is strong in the State that seven Ministers in the KCR Cabinet were defeated.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has suspended Director-General of Police Anjani Kumar, who went to Revanth Reddy’s residence in the afternoon even as the counting of votes was happening. It replaced him with Ravi Gupta.

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