Two months after TRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the Assembly, signalling early polls, the Opposition which was in complete disarray has turned around and seems to be far more upbeat, banking upon poll arithmetic, thanks to the Congress-TDP tie-up. But the ruling TRS is confident that its irrigation projects, pensions and other populist schemes will see it through in the Telangana polls.
KCR had dissolved the Assembly on 6 September and at that time it appeared to be a completely one sided affair, thanks to the populist schemes taken up by the first elected government of the country’s youngest state. Yet the Opposition, turned the tables by putting up a united front, particularly Congress and TDP and with voting percentage of 25 per cent and 14 per cent respectively it is expected to trounce the TRS which had got only 34 per cent vote in 2014 despite riding high on statehood sentiment. Congress president Rahul Gandhi was confident that TDP and Congress workers were working together at the grassroot level.
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Even Opposition workers admit that under TRS the state which at the time of bifurcation was completely dependent on Andhra Pradesh is now self sufficient. As power minister G Jagadish Reddy pointed out not only the farmers get 24 hours power supply it has saved their lives as well. “ Do you know how many farmers used to die due to snake bites while getting up at night to switch on the pumps? Regular power supply has changed the face of the state.” said Reddy.
The Opposition has rightly pointed out free education from KG to PG was a complete non-starter and both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi have agreed that TRS has failed to complete its ambitious scheme of providing double bedroom houses to the poor but wherever it has been completed the beneficiaries are happy. “ All this is due to my nana(father) My nana is KCR,” said Sameera, a proud owner of 2 BHK but there were murmurs of resentment among people who said the beneficiaries already had their own houses and gave up the new ones for rent.
But according to O Narasimha Reddy of Telangana Higher Education Council, it is the Ryathu Bandhu the farmers investment support scheme under which they got Rs8,000 per acre annually and the Ryathu Beema under which farmers were insured for Rs 5 lakhs are the best schemes and TRS will reap its benefits in rural areas.
And the KCR kits supplied to new mothers after deliveries has ensured rise in institutional delivery especially in remote and tribal areas. But it is the Kalyan Laksmi which provide financial assistance to the brides and the various pensions that are considered to be most beneficial to the common people.