Hyderabad: A new trend is visible in the run-up to the Telangana assembly elections, with village gram panchayats and community organisations in several constituencies passing resolutions to vote in favour of Telangana Rashtra Samithi candidates. In the Siddipet and Huzurnagar assembly constituencies, several villages and communities have passed a resolution to vote in favour of Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and Finance Minister Etela Rajender respectively. There are, however, fewer such resolutions passed in Gajwel and Sircilla assembly constituencies represented by caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his son and caretaker minister K.T. Rama Rao respectively.
Moreover, community organisations are donating funds for the election campaigns of TRS candidates. Some villages have also passed a resolution to vote against the TRS in the coming elections but have not decided which party to vote for instead. Sources in the TRS said that getting the villages to vote in their favour is part of their election strategy.
The gram panchayat of JP Tanda in Siddipet assembly constituency on Tuesday passed a resolution to vote for Harish Rao, in Ibrahimnagar, Kodur mandal, 300 Goud families passed a resolution to vote for Harish Rao. In the past one week more than 20 villages and several community organisations like Yadav, Gouda, Nayee Brahmin and others, have passed unanimous resolutions in favour of Harish Rao.
In Huzurnagar assembly constituency also several villages passed resolutions in favour of Mr Rajender. Kamalapur, the native village of Mr Rajender, passed a resolution in favour of him and the Reddy association has donated Rs 2 lakh towards his election expenditure. In Challur village, Veenavanka mandal, 27 communities came onto one platform and passed a resolution to vote for Mr Rajender and donated Rs 1, 16,000 for election expenses.
The Reddy association of Veenavanka donated Rs 2 lakh for election expenditure. In Karimnagar, Jedcherla and some other constituencies, resolutions have been passed favouring the TRS. TS Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajath Kumar has said that the EC will take action if it is found that any one has forced voters to pass such resolutions. So far no complaints have been received, he said.
