Buzz in political circles across the State
With elections to two seats of graduates constituency in the Legislative Council in the offing, enrolment of eligible graduate voters has become a buzz word in the political circles.
The BJP and the Congress have intensified efforts to retain their traditional votes for giving a tough fight to the ruling party.
The TRS on its part has taken the poll as prestigious issue given the reverses it suffered in the past.
The party could not win Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar constituency despite being in power while it lost Karimnagar-Medak-Adilabad-Nizamabad constituency after registering thumping victory in the previous Assembly elections.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao is particular on enrolment of all eligible voters as it will pave the way for easy victory.
This said, solutions to the problems of graduates - be it job opportunities related or inordinate delay in announcement of unemployment dole - continue to persist.
How far the contesting candidates will take the issues faced by graduates is only to be waited and seen.
No end to exchange
of political barbs
The political landscape in Telangana is heating up with elections to a few MLC seats, Dubbak Assembly constituency, and to few civic bodies including the GHMC due over the next few months.
The appointment of new in-charge to oversee the party affairs of Congress in the State by AICC has also added some energy not only to the political activity but also to the trading of charges by Congress, TRS and BJP.
The exchange of political barbs is more intense in the State Capital with GHMC elections due soon as the stakes are high not only to the ruling TRS and its ally MIM but also to the Opposition Congress and BJP as the civic body houses nearly one-third of the State’s population.
Amid such a political scenario, a BJP leader Velaga Srinivas is storming the social media throwing repeated challenge at Minister for Urban Development and IT K.T. Rama Rao on the condition of roads in GHMC.
Through text and video messages on social media he seeks ₹100 crore funds and 6 months time to make the City roads water-logging free even in case of deluge!
TRS corporators,
a worried lot
With the GHMC elections round the corner, the sitting TRS corporators are spending sleepless nights over their renomination.
A survey by the ruling party apparently revealed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to increase its strength to over 30 in the 150-member Council and the TRS is looking at fresh faces to build up the KTR team as well, many sitting ones are worried.
Some of them expressed their feelings to the MLAs hoping that they will have some say in the party nomination.
TRS, a senior leader felt, was also worried on a section of the YSRCP supporters in the city voting to the BJP this time.
In the last GHMC elections, the YSRCP supporters overwhelmingly supported the TRS candidates to settle scores with the TDP, but the changed political equations in Andhra Pradesh, where Chief Minister Jagan’s team has close working relations with the national BJP leaders, may reflect here as well.
Annual licence fee
haunts bar owners
Bars have reopened but the managements dread the thought of paying annual licence fee which was due last month.
After six months of closure of bars on account of COVID, the bars resumed business last week with government permission. However, the government has not spelt out whether the licence fee already paid for the six month period will be adjusted in the next year.
The excise officials maintained that there was no such provision of carry forward of fee but some concession in further payments could be given. For instance, the managements may be given the option of paying fee in four instalments against three at present.
(M. Rajeev, B. Chandrashekhar, R. Ravikanth Reddy & N. Rahul)