A Congress candidate who faced backlash for allegedly asking voters to return cash and pressure cookers distributed during campaigning was elected from Ward 10 in Aswaraopet municipality. The Congress swept the civic polls, winning 17 of the 22 wards.
Published Date – 13 February 2026, 12:57 PM
Kothagudem: A Congress candidate, Minda Haribabu, who had demanded that voters return the money and pressure cookers he distributed, suspecting that they had not voted for him, has been elected from Ward 10 in Aswaraopet municipality.
It may be recalled that voters threw pressure cooker boxes onto the street and staged a protest on Thursday, expressing anger at the candidate for asking them to return the gifts and allegedly insulting them.
The voters claimed that he had distributed Rs.2,500 and a pressure cooker to each family voluntarily while seeking votes. A video clipping of the incident went viral on social media.
Meanwhile, the Congress won Aswaraopet municipality by securing 17 of the 22 wards in the first election held to the civic body. The BRS won two wards, while the BJP secured one and Independent candidates won two wards in the results announced on Friday. The newly formed municipality has 16,850 voters.
