Congress focusing on ST assembly constituencies

Adilabad: Putting its best foot forward in the Telangana Assembly polls this time, the Congress is especially focusing on winning the ST constituencies. Fewer days are left for campaigns for the November 30 polls and tough fights are unfolding in several constituencies.

Twelve out of the 119 Assembly seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). The party's high command believes that party candidates will win in a majority of the ST seats.

As many as five tribal MLAs won the 2018 Assembly polls, when the Congress won a total of 19 seats. One tribal MLA each from the old Adilabad, and Warangal districts and three from old Khammam district won the elections.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi will address a public meeting in Asifabad constituency and Khanapur on November 19. AICC observers have visited Asifabad and coordinated matters with the contesting candidate Shyam Naik. Vedma Bojju is the Congress candidate in Khanapur.

Senior Congress leader Naresh Jadhav, who was made Adilabad Parliament in-charge for the elections and AICC secretary P.C. Vishnunath and AICC observer Prakash Rathod took rounds of Sirpur (T) and Asifabad constituencies.

Priyanka Gandhi might also address public meetings in some other ST constituencies in Warangal and Khammam districts in the second phase of her tour.

The Congress leaders say tribals are a traditional vote bank of the Congress as the Congress governments had introduced the MNREGS scheme and issued Records of Forest Rights (ROFR) pattas when Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was the chief minister.