Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and Government Advisor Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Friday said the Congress had become the dominant force in Kamareddy constituency after winning a majority of sarpanch seats in the first phase of the 2025 gram panchayat elections.
At a press conference following a rally and felicitation ceremony, Shabbir Ali said Congress-backed candidates secured 58 out of 102 panchayat seats. The BRS won 26, BJP 12, and independents five. He thanked voters for their support and said the result reflected strong rural approval of the Congress agenda. “Once again, the public has clearly stood with Congress,” he stated.
Shabbir Ali vows equal village development with new funds
The Congress leader highlighted a significant win in former BRS MLA Gampa Govardhan’s native village. A Congress-supported candidate won there for the first time in nearly 30 years. He also said several victorious Congress rebels remained loyal to the party and were welcomed back. Responding to K.T. Rama Rao’s earlier remarks branding the Jubilee Hills bypoll and panchayat elections as a referendum, Shabbir said the BJP and BRS had been clearly rejected.
He claimed Congress-backed candidates had secured over 2,300 of the 4,000 sarpanch seats contested across Telangana.
Shabbir noted that villages were deprived of Central and State funds for three years due to the delay in elections. With the polls now complete, he announced that Rs 6,000 crore in pending allocations Rs 3,000 crore each from the Centre and the State would be released. He added that additional support would come from the Chief Minister’s fund and his own constituency development budget.
He promised equal development for all villages, regardless of party alignment, and urged newly elected sarpanches to ensure transparent and effective governance.
Clarifying the party’s position, Shabbir said Congress would not force leaders from other parties to switch sides. However, he welcomed those who returned voluntarily, including the sarpanches from Bibipet and Domakonda.
Earlier, hundreds of Congress-backed sarpanches participated in a rally from Indira Gandhi Chowrasta to the Congress office in Kamareddy. There, Shabbir Ali felicitated them with bouquets and praised their commitment. The sarpanches pledged to resolve local issues swiftly and uphold clean governance.
Village elders, local leaders, women’s groups, youth, and Congress workers attended the event.