Kothagudem: Voters of the Kothagudem Assembly constituency think differently about the elections. There are many industrial workers in this segment, who work for companies like The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), Kothagudem Thermal Power Station (KTPS), Navabharat and NMDC.
The Congress and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had won from the segment thrice and the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) once, since 1983.
Vanama Venkateswara Rao had bagged the seat in 1989, 1999 and 2004 and Koneru Nageswara Rao in 1983, 1985 and 1994. The people of the Kothagudem Assembly constituency welcomed regional parties in the beginning.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won in the segment in 1983 and TRS in 2014. Jalagam Venkat Rao, a TRS candidate has been working hard to win a second time in the elections. Jalagam Vengal Rao took the initiative of setting up various mega industries in Kothagudem district when he was the Chief Minister of AP and the Union industries minister.
There is an ongoing power struggle in the Mahakutami over seat allocation. Former minister, Vanama Venkateswara Rao, is making all efforts to get a Congress ticket and his relative, Yadavalli Krishna, is also insisting on the same seat. But the CPI, being part of the alliance wants to the Kothagudem seat.
Former MLA, K. Sambasiva Rao, is hoping for a CPI ticket. The role of SCCL miners is a key factor in winning the seat. The TRS trade union, Telangana Boggughani Karmika Sangham, won the recognised Union elections held two years ago. The TRS is confident that this section of votes will be in its favour as the government had announced different sops for miners such as interest free loans for employees and increasing increments and other sops.
In the KTPS too, the government made the contract workers permanent. The influence of government schemes is important to the ruling party. K. Sunder, a teacher, said, “A correct picture of the segment will be known after the announcement of the rival candidate.”
Jalagam Venkat Rao is campaigning smoothly and has overcome dissident problems. Many residents in Kothagudem have complained about the increasing temperatures and pollution in the coal town. There is a demand that the SCCL take up more green projects, an area which has been neglected by it so far.
