HYDERABAD: With electoral setbacks in Dubbak and GHMC polls, TRS has decided to activate party cadre from village to district level. The party has decided to focus on strengthening party committees, which are instrumental to take the party programmes to the people. The party feels though it has over 60 lakh members and has been implementing schemes like insurance to each worker, it has not been able to utilise their services effectively in taking the programmes to each and every household.
“Our party has committees at village, mandal and assembly constituency. In urban local bodies, TRS has town and ward committees. However, the committees have become ornamental and local MLA runs the show. There is a gap between the committee (party leaders) and MLAs in some assembly constituencies,” a senior functionary of the party said.
Though the party has general secretaries, secretaries as state body, there are no district-level committee and presidents for the past five years and heads for wings like women and students. “Our rival party, BJP, has dedicated workers with limited resources. BJP is more active on social media. We too have a social media committee, but almost defunct,” a party general secretary said.
TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is going to address the party’s extended executive meeting on Sunday, is likely to guide the leaders on taking up membership and appointment of committees from village to state level before the party plenary and election of president.
“The party chief will take a call on whether to have committees only up to assembly constituency level or even up to district level. If district committees are appointed, the CM will decide whether they will be for old districts or all 33 new districts. Till 2015, TRS had district convenor and Rangareddy had two district units — Rangareddy East and Vikarabad. Even BJP divided Greater Hyderabad into four party districts and appointed presidents,” a party leader said. Old-timers recall, there were ‘Udyama committee’ (2013-2015) for the party in each district to take forward the Telangana statehood movement.
Meanwhile, the party president election is taking place, though a formality, after four years. Last time, the TRS president election was held during the 2017 party plenary and the term ends in April 2021. As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), it is mandatory to conduct elections for president post and appoint executive committee. The president election was initially for two years, the party constitution was amended earlier and made for four-year term.