The poll battle has intensified in Telangana as the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Congress and the BJP are locked in a triangular fight for the assembly election scheduled next month. Telangana will have single-phase polling for 119 seats on November 30 with the counting of votes set for December 3 along with other poll-bound states.
While BRS Working President K T Rama Rao is confident of his party coming back to power for a third term, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakmar has expressed confidence that the Congress will form the next government in Telangana. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the BJP would pick a leader from the Backward Class for the chief minister’s post if the party comes to power.
What are the Poll Issues in Telangana?
While Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has stressed on his welfare schemes and development during his tenure, several issues including unemployment, freebies and anti-incumbency remain prominent for voters.
Unemployment
The repeated cancellation of the TSPSC exam has set a wave of frustration among the youths in the state. The suicide of an aspirant for the exams had brought students out on the streets. The death gave a fillip to a general sense of resentment that the youth already had due to the high unemployment rate.
According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2022-23, the rate of unemployment in Telangana is 15.1 percent, higher than the national average of 10 percent. The Biswal Committee report in 2021 said that there were over 1.91 lakh jobs lying vacant in government departments since 2015. No serious attempt has been made to fill them till now.
In his campaign speech, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi promised to fill these vacancies. The Telangana agitation was spearheaded by K Chandrasekhar Rao with the slogan Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyaamakaalu (water, funds and job recruitments). People are of the opinion that the BRS government could not fulfil its main promises.
Anti-incumbency
After almost 10 years of the BRS government, a section of people wants the present government to give way to a new one. Tenant farmers, minorities and the youth have time and again shown their anger at unfulfilled promises. While a few claim that Rythu Bandhu benefits are benefitting only the rich and influential farmers, many are yet to get their 2 BHK houses. Also, the momentum of the Telangana agitation that brought this government to power is stale now.
With his national political ambitions and renaming the party from TRS to BRS, KCR too has given a hint in this direction. Moreover, Congress winning the Karnataka elections has given a makeover to their image here. Elections are often fought on perceptions and no one can miss the new zeal in Congress campaigns.
Historically, Telangana had several chief ministers from Congress and the party used to have a strong base here. When BRS working president was asked about the anti-incumbency wave during a media session, KTR said, “We do not deny that there is anti-incumbency, but there is higher pro-incumbency. There is a silent majority which is content with our government.”
Burden of freebies
According to the Centre, Telangana’s outstanding public debts will touch Rs 3.57 lakh crore in 2023-24, which is 11% more than the previous year. Opposition leaders have often alleged that the state government has resorted to indiscriminate borrowings and sale of government land to pay salaries to employees. In such a scenario, the welfare schemes of the government liked Rythu Bandhu and Dalit Bandhu have come under the scanner. Such schemes can make the state coffers dry. The new BRS manifesto is expected to put an additional burden of more than Rs 35,000 crore on the government.
Corruption allegations
Parties like the YSRTP and the Congress have been vocal against corruption in Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project. YS Sharmila had written to CAG on the alleged corruption in the construction of the project. A pillar of the Medigadda bridge, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, sank due to heavy inflows recently. This gave an opportunity for the opposition parties to accuse the government of corruption in the project.
Telangana Congress president Revanth Reddy had accused the state government of large-scale corruption in setting up thermal power plants. He accused KCR of running a government that takes 30 per cent commission.
Backward Castes
With Rahul Gandhi demanding caste census and Andhra Pradesh to start the process in November, there have been demands for the same in Telangana. There are 134 Backward Classes in Telangana and they hold significant power in some seats. With all the parties trying to balance the number of BC candidates in their list, and Home Minister Amit Shah announcing that Telangana will have an OBC CM if BJP is voted to power, the politics around the caste group is only going to increase.
KEY CONSTITUENCIES
Some of the prominent seats in Telangana assembly elections are:
- Gajwel: In the Gajwel seat near Hyderabad, BJP MLA Eatala Rajender is set to take on Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao in the Gajwel constituency in the assembly polls. The seat holds a special place in Telangana politics, as it has been the stronghold of K Chandrasekhar Rao.
- Kamareddy: BJP’s K Venkata Ramana Reddy will contest against KCR in the Kamareddy constituency, which is the other seat being fought by K Chandrashekar Rao. The constituency is currently represented by Gampa Govardhan of the BRS, a five-time legislator since 1994.
- Sircilla: Rani Rudrama Reddy was fielded against BRS working president and KCR’s son KT Rama Rao in Sircilla.
- Goshamahal: Sitting BJP legislator T Raja Singh, whose suspension was recently revoked, will contest from the Goshamahal segment in the city, his present constituency. In August last year, Raja Singh was suspended from the party following his alleged controversial remarks against “Islam and Prophet Mohammed” in a video which was later pulled down.