CM eyes employees vote bank in Munugode

HYDERABAD: Intensifying its campaign in the Munugode Assembly constituency, the TRS leadership is focusing on the government employee votebank. Some 5,000 government employees are said to stay in the constituency, and the number would go up to 10,000 if their family members are included.

Apart from this, TSRTC employees and their families make up almost 6,000 voters. These 16,000 voters are now the focus of one the streams of the campaign

TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and party working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao met with party leaders to discuss ways to win over the government employees. Following this, Rama Rao has been meeting with leaders of employees’ unions at his camp office in Begumpet for the last two days.

He has reportedly lobbied with the chiefs of TNGOs, TGOs, teachers’ unions, the TSRTC, and other organisations. The minister is reportedly promising employees that the government will clear three pending DA arrears pertaining to July 2021 and January and July 2022 besides undertaking general transfers — both of which are long pending demands.

It is believed that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's sudden decision to approve new PRC (pay revision scales) for the TSRTC staff on Saturday, which had been delayed since 2017, was a part of the party's strategy.

TSRTC chairman Bajireddy Goverdhan made a request to CM in this regard on Saturday to which the CM gave his nod immediately and instructions were issued to the TSRTC management to take steps for the PRC implementation soon.

This was followed by transport secretary K.S. Srinivasa Raju writing to Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj seeking approval for the PRC implementation. If the EC gives its approval, the announcement on the PRC implementation will be made before the bypoll. If not, the announcement will be made soon after model code ends on November 6.