Andhra rural polls: Congress slightly ahead of TDP

The positive vibes on statehood for Telangana has possibly worked in favour of the Congress in the Andhra Pradesh panchayat polls.

The two phases of polls — the third and final phase is slated for Wednesday —have given the party a marginal lead over the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Though this is cheering news for the Congress, the trend cannot be considered as one that would translate into gains for the party in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Local elections focus on local issues, and are not fought on party symbols. Political parties support their candidates of choice.

The overall party positions in the state, including the unanimously elected panchayats reportedly were —Congress leading in 4,342 gram panchayats, TDP in 4,275, YSRCP in 2739 and TRS in 1117.

In terms of districts, however, the TDP was considered to be leading in 10 of the 22 rural districts.