Hyderabad: TRS leaders and cadre are eyeing a repeat of the clean sweep of the Assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) communities on the back of the ‘pro-SC, ST decisions’ being announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao since September 3.
Out of 119 Assembly constituencies, 31 are reserved of which SCs account for 19 and STs 12.
In 2018, TRS won 16 SC and six ST seats. Subsequently, two SC MLAs and four ST legislators from other parties joined the TRS, giving it a total of 18 SC and 10 ST seats in the Assembly.
The TRS had lost Nakrekal in undivided Nalgonda district, Sathupalli and Madhira in the undivided Khammam districts that are reserved for the SCs. It also lost Mulug seat in undivided Warangal district, Wyra, Aswaraopeta, Yellandu, Bhadrachalam and Pinapaka in the undivided Khammam districts reserved for STs.
However, Nakrekal Congress MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah, Wyra legislator Ramulu Naik who won as an independent candidate, TDP MLAs from Sathupalli and Aswaraopeta, Sandra Venkata Veeriah and Mecha Nageswara Rao joined TRS soon thereafter.
Congress MLAs from Yellandu and Pinapaka, Banothu Hari Priya and Rega Kantha Rao also joined the TRS.
At present, only Mulug and Madhira seats reserved for SCs and Bhadrachalam seats reserved for STs are not represented by TRS.
Rao has laid special focus on SC and ST reserved seats to make a clean sweep again in the next Assembly polls.
In the Cabinet meeting held on September 3, he announced that he would extend Dalit Bandhu scheme to another 1,500 families in every Assembly constituency. He inaugurated Adivasi Bhavan and Banjara Bhavan in Banjara Hills on Saturday with modern amenities for STs to organise functions and programmes free of cost.
The TRS held a massive Adivasi and Banjara public meeting in NTR Stadium on Saturday in which Rao announced enhancement of reservations for STs from four per cent to 10 per cent, launch of Girijan Bandhu for landless STs and accorded ownership rights on podu lands to tribals.
The Chief Minister also named the new Telangana Secretariat complex after Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
TRS leaders and cadre are undertaking a massive campaign on the recent pro-SC, ST decisions. They have planned celebrations in these constituencies for the next two weeks to garner support. They are taking out rallies and are performing 'ksheerabhishekams' (pouring milk on Rao’s portraits) as a thanksgiving gesture.
