Hyderabad, Feb. 20 -- The just-concluded municipal elections in Telangana witnessed political parties ignoring their traditional rivalries, with the sole intention of grabbing power in the civic bodies amid the hung verdict, people familiar with the matter said.

Across various municipalities, rival parties including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) set aside ideological differences and forged unprecedented alliances to secure local body seats.

In a few municipalities, the BJP extended support to the Congress, while in others the Congress backed the BJP or even the BRS, an official from the state election commission said on condition of anonymity, after analysing the reports compiled in differen...