Though the ruling TRS has bagged all the six local body constituency seats in Telangana, it is deeply shocked and worried about the massive cross-voting within its ranks. Usually, it is the Opposition which suffers defections, but in this case, it is the ruling party, which suffered defections.

In Khammam, the cross-voting is acute. The Congress candidate, who lost the election, polled much more than his share of votes. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the cross-voting mostly happened from the TRS. The problem is more acute in Khammam and Kothagudem divisions. That the cross voting occurred despite keeping the candidates in camps in Goa, is a cause for serious concern for the TRS.

Sources say that a senior leader is responsible for the cross voting. The Congress had 119 votes. Due to defections, the number has come down to 103. Of these, the TRS targeted another 30. So, one expected the Congress to get no more than 70 votes. But, Congress candidate Rayala Nageswara Rao polled 242 votes. This only means that there were 140 votes, which must have been polled to the Congress candidate from the TRS.

Sources say that the TRS suffered reverses even in 2018 assembly elections due to cross-voting. The TRS party is now conducting a probe into the cross-voting.