Gundapaneni Satish, a 34-year-old differently-abled M.Tech graduate from Kothagudem, is all set to throw his hat into the electoral ring for the Kothagudem Assembly seat in Telangana’s coal hub on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
With the electioneering for the December 7 Assembly elections poised to gain momentum in the coal belt region, Mr. Satish, the founder of the Telangana Vibinna Pratibhavanthula Sangham (TVPS), is gearing up for a hectic campaign on his tri-wheeler bike equipped with a mike in the constituency.
Mr Satish’s election campaign is focussed on issues affecting physically-challenged persons and aimed at asserting the rights of persons with disability to run for elections and become active partners in decision and policy making process at various levels.
Substantial chunk
Physically challenged persons form a substantial chunk of the electorate in Kothagudem constituency spread across the coal mining areas of the State owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited in Kothagudem region and the industrial hub of Palvancha mandal.
There are little over 25,000 physically challenged voters in the constituency mainly concentrated in and around the district headquarters town of Kothagudem.
Active participation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the electoral process particularly contesting the elections is imperative to give voice to the most marginalised section of the society and strengthen their rights as guaranteed by the constitution, says Mr Satish.
On his foray into the electoral politics, Mr. Satish, who runs a computer institute in the coal town, says: The decision of AAP to field me from Kothagudem seat heralds a new beginning in the efforts to politically empower persons with disabilities and their true inclusion into society. There are myriad of issues plaguing persons with disabilities which remained unaddressed over the last four years in the new State of Telangana, he deplores.
Notwithstanding the passage of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill in 2016, the promised disabled-friendly facilities at public places, employment opportunities in both public and private sectors continue to elude the PwDs in the State, he rues, underscoring the need for equal opportunities for PwDs in all spheres and curbing all forms of discrimination against them.
Disadvantaged section
I would extensively campaign across the constituency with the cooperation of the supporters of the AAP and the members of TVPS to bring to the fore the multitude of the issues facing the PwDs, the imperative need to address them for social, economic and political empowerment of the disadvantaged section, he asserts.