Poll Promises: All eyes on same vote banks, TRS, Oppn draw up strategies

Hyderabad: Employees, farmers, youth employed and unemployed and minorities remain the major votebank for all parties in the upcoming Assembly polls of Telangana State. However, each party has its own calculations on how this vote bank will ensure victory for them.

TRS believes that its vote bank remains intact with a slew of sops implemented over the past four years. But, the Opposition sees cracks in the TRS vote bank as key promises remain unfulfilled.

The Opposition is expecting resentment with the TRS from these sections, which would eventually dent the TRS votebank and turn the scenario in favour of the Opposition.

Meanwhile, the TRS is confident of employees, farmers, youth and minorities voting for it outrightly. The party feels that farmers will vote for it for implementing Rythu Bandhu ('8,000 given per acre per year), Rythu Bheema ('5 lakh free life insurance), 24x7 free power supply to agriculture, farm mechanisation scheme of extending subsidised tractors, farm equipment and a slew of irrigation projects.

It is confident that employees will vote for the party as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had given highest ever fitment (salary hike) from June, 2014 besides a special Telangana increment. The youth and the unemployed would vote as TRS government has approved one lakh vacancies which are now under various stages of recruitment.

Minorities would vote because of the government passing a legislation on 12 per cent quota, though that could not be implemented with Centre not granting approval. The TRS government had also provided free clothes and other sops to minorities during Ramzan, Christmas etc.

However, the Opposition parties believe that Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bheema have backfired as they were extended to only land owners, who do not do agriculture and actually handover their lands to tenant farmers for cultivation. The TRS excluded nearly 40 lakh tenant farmers from this sop and the Opposition hopes that they will vote against TRS.

Similarly, the Opposition sees resentment amongst employees due to failure of the government in extending Interim Relief (IR) and new PRC from Dasara as promised by CM earlier and dissolving the House abruptly prior to their implementation.

Also the benefit of 12 per cent quota for Muslims and 10 per cent for STs could not be availed due to the Centre stalling it.