A meeting of Telangana Rashtra Samiti president and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao with party candidates in coming elections was devoted to discussing measures to ensure beneficiaries of government programmes, mainly those enjoying social security pensions, go to polling booths on the D-Day.
The first one hour of polling should be treated as crucial and every attempt made to see the beneficiaries of programmes go for polling in that period. As they were direct beneficiaries of TRS programmes, they will be more than willing to oblige the party. There was no question of their voting for any other party, sources said quoting Mr. Rao as telling the meeting.
The details of beneficiaries were handed over to all the candidates at the meeting which was confirmed by Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari at the media briefing later.
After exhausting the social security pension holders, the candidates may focus on beneficiaries of other schemes like Kalyana Laxmi, Shaddi Mubaarak, KCR Kits, Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Aarogya Sri, anganwadi and ASHA workers and home guards, it was said.
Rival parties
The candidates should target the vote bank of rival parties after the assured votes of TRS in the form of beneficiaries were polled. This was the strategy successfully followed by Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh in 2014 elections and the same could be emulated by TRS now.
Sources added that Mr. Rao insisted on TRS cadre approaching most people in villages as beneficiaries of government programmes were present in all wards of villages. Lakhs of people enjoyed social security pensions in Telangana and there were at least 40,000 of them in each constituency.
‘Avoid controversy’
Mr. Rao advised caution on the part of candidates while giving assurances to voters. They should not deviate from the promises made in the party manifesto. They should also not make controversial statements, he said and warned that election observers of the party will always be on their trail to keep an eye on electioneering.
Mr. Srihari told media persons that Mr. Rao asked the candidates to plan out contacting all beneficiaries individually in the 45 days left for polling. He expressed confidence about TRS returning to power with 100 seats. The rebel problem in party had died down. Mr. Rao would address election meetings in 100 constituencies.
Two more names
Of the 14 Assembly constituencies where the TRS was yet to announce candidates, the party finalised its last time contestants from Zaheerabad (SC) and Malakpet constituencies. K. Manik Rao who was retained at Zaheerabad, lost narrowly to Congress MLA J. Geeta Reddy in 2014 polls.