Riding high on an anti-incumbency wave, a resurgent Congress and its main ally -- the Telangana Rajya Samithi -- surged ahead in Andhra Pradesh assembly election establishing early leads in 172 constituencies, while the ruling Telugu Desam Party was ahead in 58 seats.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was leading over his nearest Congress rival, M Subramanyam Reddy, in Kuppam in Chittoor district by about 15,000 votes in the fifth round of counting.
Several ministers, including S Chandramohan Reddy (Sarvepally in Nellore district), V Shobhanadreshwar Rao (Mydukur, Krishna district), Mutyam Reddy (Dommat, Medak district), Babu Mohan (Andhole, Medak) and N Narasimha Rao (Machilipatnam, Krishna) were trailing.
The TRS, facing an assembly election for the first time in alliance with the Congress, is surging ahead in the Telangana region comprising Karimnagar,