As counting trends on Friday for the high-stakes Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) poll showed big gains for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its state leader BL Santhosh tweeted “Well done, Bhagyanagar’.

“WELDONE BHAGYANAGAR ……!!!! Great going team @BJP4Telangana You made a mark,” party general secretary BL Santhosh wrote. The BJP pulled out all stops to campaign for the civic polls, pulling in Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanth for canvassing.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP lawmaker D Arvind told ANI, “The transformation has started in the state of Telangana. You have seen Lok Sabha election results then Dubbaka by-election and now GHMC. Let us wait till the evening, but it is clear message to TRS that people want change.”

The polls were a three-way battle between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At 12 noon, of the trends available, the BJP was ahead in 85 seats, the TRS in 29, Owaisi’s AIMIM in 17 and the Congress in 2. Among the outgoing members, the TRS had 99 and AIMIM 44.

The campaign saw an exceptionally shrill and divisive contest, with BJP leaders pitching for changing the city’s name from Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar after a temple in the city.