Telangana: Beedi workers, weavers may decide Dubbak poll outcome

HYDERABAD: Beedi workers and weavers are likely to play a key role on the outcome of Dubbak elections with the political parties going all out to woo them.
As per the official records, there are 19,500 beedi workers and another 20,000 voters are weavers and their family members in the assembly constituency. The constituency has nearly 90,000 BC voters, who include Mudiraj, Yadav and Goud communities. The ruling TRS is banking on votes of beedi workers, weavers, farmers and other beneficiaries of various government welfare schemes in the byelections. The weavers have been demanding a textile park in Dubbak.
TRS sources said while the total voters are 1.90 lakh, 57,000 people get pensions such as beedi workers, old age, single women, physically challenged and some others suffering from various ailments. Along with them, farmers are getting benefit through Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima. “Every family in the assembly constituency gets some benefit or the other. The state government has been spending nearly Rs 40,000 crore on implementing welfare schemes,” finance minister T Harish Rao, who is leading the campaign, said.
Before the poll notification, the minister visited various villages and inaugurated various developmental works in the constituency. He also distributed Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak cheques to the beneficiaries.
Congress, on the other hand, is mainly focusing on the failures of the TRS government during its campaign. “Whatever development happened in Dubbak was done by the previous Congress government. They include Indiramma houses, sanctioning of polytechnic colleges, junior colleges, funds for women self help groups and roads,” CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said during his campaign at Chegunta.
BJP is targeting both the TRS and Congress accusing them for backwardness of the constituency. TRS has fielded Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy’s wife Sujatha, Congress announced Cheruku Srinivas Reddy as its candidate. BJP has fielded Raghunandan Rao for the third time.