Hyderabad: The ruling Congress party continued its dominance in the second phase of the sarpanch elections held on Sunday. Congress-backed candidates secured first place by winning in more than 2,000 villages, similar to the performance in the first phase.

The Congress once again won over 100 sarpanch posts in Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Sangareddy, Kamareddy, Khammam, Jagtial, Mahabubabad and Suryapet districts. The party stood first in most districts during the second phase as well, except in a few districts such as Siddipet and Nirmal, mirroring the trend seen in the first phase.

BRS-backed candidates stood second by winning in more than 1,000 villages, similar to the first phase. As in the first phase, the BRS continued its dominance in Siddipet district and crossed the century mark in the second phase. The party stood first in Karimnagar, Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Jangaon districts.

In Medak district, where Congress had dominated in the first phase, the BRS gave tough competition in the second phase. The BRS also put up a strong fight in Rangareddy and Yadadri Bhongir districts.

The BJP, which had won only 189 sarpanch positions in the first phase, improved its performance by crossing the double-century mark in the second phase. The BJP stood first in Nirmal district, where the ruling Congress slipped to second place. In Adilabad district, the BJP stood second after Congress, while the BRS was pushed to third place in both Nirmal and Adilabad districts. The number of independent candidates winning increased further in the second phase compared to the first phase. While 538 independents won in the first phase, the figure neared the 600 mark in the second phase.