Revanth Asks Women to Vote For Congress in Local Polls

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday set the tone for the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections, urging women across Telangana to turn polling day into a symbolic show of support for the Congress government by wearing the newly distributed Indiramma Saris.

Addressing a public meeting in his home constituency of Kodangal after inaugurating several development projects, the Chief Minister said the Indiramma Saris scheme — under which one crore saris are being supplied to women statewide — reflects the Congress government’s commitment to dignity and quality in welfare programmes. He contrasted the new distribution with the earlier Bathukamma Saris supplied during the BRS regime, which many women rejected due to poor quality.

The Chief Minister urged women to wear Indiramma saris on polling day, stand in queues and visibly demonstrate their support, signalling that they want Indiramma Rajyam and that they bless Indiramma Rajyam.

Speaking ahead of the gram panchayat election notification, likely within the next two or three days, Revanth Reddy appealed to voters to elect candidates who would work with him for development at the grassroots instead of obstructing progress. He said Kodangal and the larger undivided Mahabubnagar district had historically suffered from drought and migration, and that his government had prioritised reversing decades of neglect by focusing on irrigation, industry and education.

Revanth Reddy announced plans to transform the Lagacharla Industrial Park in his constituency into the “Noida of Telangana,” projecting it as a future manufacturing and industrial powerhouse that would generate employment for local youth. He accused the opposition of attempting to stall land acquisition by provoking tensions and obstructing officials, but said that the Congress government’s dialogue with farmers had succeeded. Farmers from Lagacharla, Hakimpet and Polepally villages had voluntarily agreed to provide up to 4,000 acres, paving the way for the project to take off soon, he said.

Outlining a sweeping vision for Kodangal, the Chief Minister said the constituency would become an “education hub of India” within 16 months, with institutions ranging from KG to PG — including agriculture, veterinary, medical, engineering and paramedical colleges — coming up in phases.

Integrated residential schools, ATCs, degree and junior colleges, and even a proposed Sainik School are part of the plan. He said quality education was central to the government’s commitment to empowerment, and pointed to ongoing initiatives such as free breakfast for 28,000 students in 312 government schools through the Akshaya Patra Foundation, and the establishment of centralised kitchens to ensure nutritious mid-day meals.

Revanth Reddy highlighted women’s welfare as a key pillar of the Congress administration, saying that women’s dignity and happiness were fundamental to the state’s economic growth. The Fine Rice distribution scheme, free RTC bus travel for women and subsidised LPG cylinders at `500 were among the measures that had brought real relief to households.

He added that women’s groups were being encouraged to enter sectors traditionally dominated by large corporations, including setting up solar power units, and that marketing platforms such as Shilparamam stalls and potential tie-ups with Amazon would create new income opportunities.

On irrigation and infrastructure, the Chief Minister said the Kodangal Lift Irrigation Project would be completed within three years, supported by farmers who were voluntarily handing over land. He announced that work on the long-pending Vikarabad-Krishna railway line would begin in nine months, finally fulfilling a seven-decade-old aspiration of the people of Kodangal. Plans for cement industries in the region, he said, would further accelerate economic development.

Revanth Reddy urged people to support capable candidates in the local body elections who would join hands with him in development initiatives, and said that “Indiramma Rajyam” would continue for the next decade, steering comprehensive development in Kodangal and across Telangana.