Congress, BJP, BRS Woo Singareni Workers Ahead of Union Polls
The last elections were held in December 2023, though the schedule for the next polls remains unclear. Elections are typically conducted once every two years.
Adilabad: Major political parties have intensified focus on coal belt regions and issues faced by workers ahead of elections to the recognised trade union in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
The last elections were held in December 2023, though the schedule for the next polls remains unclear. Elections are typically conducted once every two years.
There is speculation that the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), may align with the Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangam (TBGKS), linked to the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), for the elections.
The SCCL operates across the erstwhile Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Adilabad districts, and the trade union elections are expected to influence nearly 40 Assembly constituencies. Singareni workers and their families form a significant voter base in several segments.
BRS deputy floor leader T. Harish Rao recently visited Godavarikhani and proposed touring coal mines under the ‘Congress Hatavo Singareni Bachavo’ programme. Former minister Koppula Eshwar is serving as honorary president of TBGKS. Harish Rao also attended a workers’ meeting at Khajipalli organised by TBGKS.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka is scheduled to visit coal mines in Mancherial district on June 13 and interact with workers, with visits planned to opencast mines in Srirampur.
The Congress, BJP and BRS are seeking to strengthen their presence among Singareni workers ahead of the elections.
There are 11 divisions in SCCL, and the outcome of the trade union elections is seen as politically significant. In the 2023 elections, AITUC secured recognition as the representative union, winning five divisions and emerging with a 1,999-vote majority over the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), which won six divisions.
TBGKS failed to win any division in 2023, though it had earlier secured recognition in 2012 and 2017. In 2017, AITUC had won two divisions, while INTUC had not contested and extended support to AITUC.
The Congress is working to strengthen INTUC’s base in Singareni, viewing success in the trade union elections as a factor that could boost cadre confidence ahead of future Assembly elections.
