Nizamabad: As the Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency readies for elections on Wednesday, the traditional Congress stronghold seems to be sprouting leaks with many sections believing that Telangana became a reality due to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
Although opinions may be divided, when it comes to choosing candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the traditional Congress bastion is showing signs of disintegration. However, the most pronounced sentiment is that Telangana statehood will change their life and most are hoping for better job opportunities.
Be it the Nizamabad Rural Assembly or the Urban constituency, the people’s proximity to the TRS has grown tremendously. “TRS hi yahan tak leke aaye, wohi aage bhi leke jaayenge. (TRS has brought us till here, and they will take us forward),” said a bidi worker, Balla Vimala from the Kota Galli in the Nizamabad Urban Assembly constituency.
Locals from the Arsapalli area in the Urban constituency show an inclination towards the Congress but are highly divided on the basis of candidates.
Kota Galli, housing nearly 1000 bidi workers, has seen three suicides over the Telangana statehood issue. The women, who roll 1000 bidis each day from 5 am to 10 pm to earn Rs 100, complain that their children are jobless despite many having their completed engineering courses. With Telangana becoming a reality, they believe that now their children will get jobs.
In rural areas, the older generation is vouching for the Congress while the younger generation is voicing their support for the TRS. “For the last 14 years TRS has been fighting for Telangana. Our grandmothers only know one sign “hand” to vote for,” said M. Anand, a local.
But people here believe that nothing can happen overnight. “We will have to be patient for better future,” said B. Anand, an urban resident.
