Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali hopeful of TRS victory

Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali while inaugurating a new TRS party office in Mahbubnagar on Monday expressed hope and re-affirmed confidence that the TRS will win the next elections with thumping majority and continue to carry forward the good work initiated by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

While speaking on the occasion Mahmood Ali said that the TRS government had initiated various welfare and development programmes and achieved more success in just 4 years compared to the development done by the erstwhile governments in the past 60 years.

He pointed out that CM KCR is committed and dedicated to make the state a Golden Telangana. “The Congress party leaders have been deceiving the people and are losing hope among the people and do not have their patronage,” said Mahmood Ali while expressing confidence that TRS will win the upcoming elections.

He also said that the Congress party does not have courage to defeat the TRS and formed Mahakutami and now making unnecessary allegations. He also lamented that the Congress party and their allies even till date have failed to declare MLA contestants in the State and are in a helpless state.

Adding further, Dr. C. Laxma Reddy, caretaker Health Minister hoped that the people of Telangana are with TRS party and he also made it clear the people do not believe the opposition parties’ false propaganda as they are creating hurdles in the way of development.

He also urged the people to support the pink party and support the TRS aspirants in the district. Srinivas Goud, MLA Mahbubnagar, TRS district president Badmi Shiva Kumar and others took part in the programme.

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EC team visits Telangana to review poll preparedness

An 11-member high-level team led by Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat is on a three-day visit to Hyderabad to review poll preparedness in Telangana.

On the first day of its visit, the EC team held interactions with representatives of political parties.

It held separate meetings with the representatives of all recognised political parties, including BJP, BSP, CPI, CPI(M), Congress, MIM, TDP and TRS.

The Commission will also hold a crucial meeting with the District Electoral Officers and Police Superintendents to review the arrangements in detail.

The team will also meet senior officials of Income Tax, Excise, and Enforcement agencies besides transport, railway and airport authorities before leaving for Delhi on Wednesday.

Telangana is scheduled to go to polls on 7 December.

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Telangana pride flies high as bikernis play Bathukamma mid-air

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In a watershed moment in the history of Bathukamma celebrations in Telangana, four Bikernis made history by playing Bathukamma high up in the air! It was a spectacular assertion of Telangana pride as the gang of Hyderabadi daredevils, Jai Bharathi, Poornima Karamala, ASD Shanthi and Jayasri Kosaraju, soared over 100 meters high over Bison Polo Ground, on paramotors, with their flower stacks in tow, to pay homage to the Mother Goddess on Dasara day. The ladies, who recently returned from an adventurous bike ride across nine districts of Telangana, are clearly overwhelmed. “It was the best Bathukamma of our lives. We got to see how the festival is celebrated across the state as we sang and danced with women everywhere we went, all through the nine days. As we were riding around in ethnic handlooms, there was a lot of buzz around us all through the trip. So, to play Bathukamma in the air was a perfect culmination to the festive season,” says Jai Bharathi, who is an architect by profession.

ASD Shanthi, a constable of She Teams, believes the event is celebration of the Telangana woman. “Bathukamma is a festival of female felicitation that epitomises the folk ethos of Telangana. So the idea behind the ride was to promote ethnic weaves and spread the message of woman empowerment. This daredevil mid-air celebration was the brain child of Telangana’s Department of Language and Culture and Telangana Tourism. It shows that the women of Telangana are capable of doing anything and are ready to take on the world,” says Shanthi. Shanthi adds, “I’ve grown up playing Bathukamma from my childhood itself but celebrating it in the air was something else altogether. I always had this dream of flying like a bird; and it came true and how!”

Poornima Karamala, director of a Hyderabad-based event management firm, nods in agreement saying, “It was the first paramotor ride of my life and boy, was it fun! It was a perfect way to pay homage to Goddess Gauri and woman power in general. The experience was inspirational. Now, I want to learn paramotoring.”

Jayasri Kosaraju, the only non-Telanganite in the group, says playing Bathukamma was a first for her and admits it’s a “dream come true”. “I am from Vijayawada, so I never played Bathukamma. It was only after we moved to Hyderabad 15 years ago that I learnt about the festival. But now I have become one of the first four women to have played Bathukamma mid-air! I’m gonna brag about it for the rest of life,” says the fashion designer, smiling.

Harikrishna, Director, Department of Language and of Culture sums it up saying, “Bathukamma is the pride of Telangana and for many centuries we have celebrated the festival on land. So along with the Department of Tourism, we decided to take the festivities to the next level by celebrating Bathukamma on water and air as well. That’s not all, this year Bathukamma celebrations took place across continents in Australia, America, and Europe and Africa.”

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Chhattisgarh polls: CPI surprises by announcing 5 candidates’ names

It was being said that the CPI was given just two seats after it joined the grand alliance between the JCC and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the elections. It was agreed that the CPI would field candidates from the two seats of Dantewada and Konta and in lieu of that, the Left party and its affiliated labour unions would campaign for the JCC-BSP candidates in some constituencies. However, the CPI’s announcement of five candidates now has raised fresh questions.

The five candidates that the CPI have announced are: Mangal Ram Kashyap from Jagdalpur; Ramchandra Nag from Kondagaon; Radhika Sori from Keshkala; Nandram Sori from Dantewada and Manish Kunjam from Kota, said a report in Naidunia. Chhattisgarh will go to elections on November 12 and 20 and the counting of the votes will take place on December 11. Four other states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana are also going to polls around the same time.

In the 2013 elections, the CPI contested in 13 seats but failed to win a single seat. It polled over 86,000 votes and had a vote share of 0.7 per cent. The figure was worse than its show in the 2008 and 2003 elections respectively when it got 1.1 per cent vote share. It though failed to win a single seat on both those occasions.

Can the CPI gain from Mayawati and Jogi magic given the fact that everything is fine with its alliance with the BSP-JCC tie-up?

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Madhya Pradesh polls: BJP launches ‘prosperous MP’ campaign

In a bid to reach out to masses in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the BJP Sunday launched ‘Samriddh (Prosperous) Madhya Pradesh’ campaign from here by flagging off 50 hi-tech vehicles designed as chariots.

The mass outreach programme is aimed at preparing ‘Drishti Patra’ or a vision document for the next month’s polls on the basis of suggestions received from the common people, a party leader said.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar flagged off the chariots, fitted with LED screens, sound systems and other equipment, from the state BJP headquarters in the state capital.

The chariots will comb all the 230 assembly constituencies in the next 15 days during which they would travel to at least 20 places in every segment.

The BJP has also released a phone number on which the suggestions can be forwarded either through WhatsApp, SMSes or by making a phone call.

Speaking at the launch function, Chouhan said his government had modelled various welfare schemes on the basis of feedback received from the common people.

“Because of this, we have decided to prepare a roadmap of a prosperous Madhya Pradesh on the basis of suggestions of the 7.5-crore people of the state,” he said.

The chief minister attacked the Congress for its “misrule” of the past.

“During the rule of the Congress (before 2013), people were forced to take temporary roads in their farmland for travelling instead of the main roads which were almost non-existent then. People had to spend nights on roads during summer season due to power cuts,” he said.

The CM also accused the Congress of pushing Madhya Pradesh into poverty through its policies.

“Every sector, including the education and irrigation, was in a bad shape at that time because of the Congress which had pushed this state into BIMARU category.

“We (the BJP government) lifted Madhya Pradesh from that category and turned it into a ‘Sucharu’ (smoothly run) and viksit (developed) state,” he said.

BIMARU is an acronym for states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh grouped into the category in the past for their poor economic condition.

Chouhan said Madhya Pradesh will become a prosperous state in the next five years, if the BJP gets the popular mandate for another term.

Madhya Pradesh will go to polls on November 28. Counting of votes will take place on December 11.

Meanwhile, the state Congress unit has sought the Election Commission’s intervention to stop the “Samriddha Madhya Pradesh Abhiyan”, which the party said is a violation of model code of conduct.

“This is time for the BJP to give an account of its work. Instead of doing that, they are luring the people with false promises and are misleading them by seeking suggestions and ideas, which is prohibited under the poll code. We have filed a complaint with the EC,” said state Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja.

Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly Ajay Singh also dismissed the campaign as a gimmick.

“The chief minister is trying to sell false dreams to the people fearing defeat in polls, which is imminent. This campaign is aimed at deceiving the common people,” Singh alleged.

Meanwhile, in an embarrassment to the BJP, a portrait of former prime minister and BJP patriarch (late) Atal Bihari Vajpayee was not put up at the launch function held at its headquarters.

When asked about this, BJP senior leader Prabhat Jha tried to play down the incident and said, “Vajpayee ji is in the heart of every person of the state. So, this incident should not be misinterpreted”.

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Rajasthan : Six new Zika cases, total 123

Six more people tested positive for Zika virus in Rajasthan’s Jaipur district Sunday, taking the total number of such cases to 123, a government official said.

Of the 123 patients, around 105 have recovered after treatment, he said.

The state health department also formed a five-member committee on Saturday to investigate, examine and track Zika virus disease in pregnant patients of first trimester. The committee will submit the report to the director public health from time to time, an order said. Most of the cases which have been reported are from Shastri Nagar area here where fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out to prevent the spread of the virus.

The virus, transmitted through the aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. It is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller in newborns. In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 and the second in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district in July that year. Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management.

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Rajasthan elections: Soured ties with Rajputs key hurdle in Vasundhara Raje’s poll fight

Polling to the 200 Assembly seats is to take place on December 7. Rajputs account for about 12 per cent of the state’s population and wield influence in at least two dozen Assembly seats.

As Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje battles what is being perceived as an intense anti-incumbency factor to retain power, soured ties between her and an influential Rajput community seem to be an unresolved obstacle for the ruling BJP.

Relationship between Rajputs, a traditional support base of the BJP since Jana Sangh days, and the Raje-led government has been on a downslide since 2016 and the recent move of Manvendra Singh, MLA and son of former Union Minister and Rajput leader Jaswant Singh, to join the Congress has worsened it, BJP leaders admitted.

Party leaders pointed out a series of events, including the Rajmahal land row, the Padmaavat controversy, the encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh and Raje’s opposition to the BJP central leadership’s choice of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as state unit chief have left a deep dent on the party’s acceptability within the community. “The damage is irreparable, at least before the polls,” said a BJP leader from Rajasthan.

Polling to the 200 Assembly seats is to take place on December 7. Rajputs account for about 12 per cent of the state’s population and wield influence in at least two dozen Assembly seats. “They have been traditional supporters of the BJP. The contribution of Rajput leader and former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was a three-term CM, was crucial for the BJP’s electoral successes,” the leader said.

The current government has three cabinet ministers and a junior minister from the Rajput community.

The community’s distancing from the government started when Padmini Devi of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur took out a public protest against sealing of the main entrance of Rajmahal Palace during an anti-encroachment drive. Padmini Devi is the mother of BJP MLA Diya Kumari, who had joined the party ahead of the last Assembly polls. Many in the Rajput community did not appreciate the way government officials locked the entrance to the palace and did not forgive Raje for the “humiliation” the family faced.

The simmering anger turned into rage when Anandpal Singh, a gangster from the Ravana Rajput community, was killed in an encounter. Despite the fact that Ravana Rajputs are considered by Rajputs as belonging to an inferior caste, the killing triggered protests, with Rajput bodies demanding a CBI probe. When the government agreed to a CBI probe, it sent about 115 cases against him to the agency. The already-soured ties between the community and the government slipped further down.

Then came the protests over film Padmaavat. The community aggressively opposed the film and was upset that the government allowed it to be shot. The ban on the film at the time of release did not satisfy them.
The Rajputs were also angry at Raje’s opposition to Gajendra Shekhawat as state party chief. The BJP central leadership had chosen Shekhawat primarily to placate the Rajputs, but Raje was adamant and Rajya Sabha MP Madanlal Saini, an OBC leader, got the post.

The latest development in this regard was Manvendra Singh joining the Congress. Political observers say Jaswant Singh is still respected and regarded as a top leader of the community and Manvendra’s move would appeal to the Rajputs upset with the “ill-treatment” of Jaswant Singh.

The Singh family’s ties with Raje and BJP worsened after the party denied ticket to Jaswant from Barmer in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Manvendra was suspended from the party for campaigning for his father in that election in which Jaswant contested against BJP’s official candidate. However, Manvendra continued to represent Sheo as an MLA.

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Telangana polls : ‘Vote TRS for corruption-free govt’

The former legislator invited 60 youngsters and women into party. He asserted that the widespread support to the pink party indicated the performance of the TRS-led government.

Nadipelli Diwakar Rao, TRS candidate from Mancherial Assembly constituency, requested the electors to vote for the party to form corruption-free government. He led a poll rally in ward number seven in Mancherial on Sunday.

Diwakar Rao stated that the TRS government had introduced several innovate schemes and taken up creation of irrigation projects like never before. He requested the electors to cast their votes in favour of his candidature to see K Chandrashekhar Rao as Chief Minister for the second time. He added that he would strive hard for developing the town on many facets if elected again.

The former legislator invited 60 youngsters and women into party. He asserted that the widespread support to the pink party indicated the performance of the TRS-led government. He urged the party activists to spread awareness over welfare schemes and development witnessed in the State.

Municipal chairperson M Vasundhara, vice-chairperson Nalla Shankar, counselor of ward number seven Baggani Ravi, Women and Child Welfare Department’s Mancherial regional director Atthili Saroja, leaders of the party Sudamalla Harikrishna, Panuganti Srinivas, Pudari Prabhakar, Arigela Rajeshwam, Vemulapalli Satyam were among many others who attended the programme.

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Telangana Polls : Electricians back TRS

Electricians from Lingojiguda division joined TRS in the presence of party candidate Muddagauni Rammohan Goud here on Sunday. Muddagauni assured them that he would strive hard for the welfare schemes introduced by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to the downtrodden. He also said that issues mentioned in recently announced partial manifesto, like increments in unemployment allowances, Rythu Bandhu, accident insurance policy to workers, Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak schemes, are useful to the public.

Corporator Mudraboina Srinivasa Rao said that Rammohan will always be available to people in the constituency. He appealed to them to vote for the car symbol in the December elections. Rajinikanth, Raja Reddy, Vishnu, Ravinder Reddy, Swamy, Krishna, Chari, Pandarinath, Srinu, Mallesh, Yadaiah, Raju, Nagi Reddy, Chenna Reddy, Shabbir, Ashok Goud, Siva Reddy, Giri, Rajesh and Party leaders V Shravan Kumar Gupta, Ravinder Reddy, Bhaskar Reddy, Indraji, Prabhu, Nandikanti Shekar, P Sridhar, Siva Goud and G Srinivas Kuruma were present.

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Telangana Elections: TRS announces candidates for Malakpet and Zaheerabad

With this, the TRS has announced 107 candidates for the 119-member Assembly. The remaining 12 candidates are also expected to be named soon.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Sunday announced the names of two more party candidates for the Malakpet and Zaheerabad Assembly constituencies for the upcoming state elections.

The decision was taken by senior TRS leaders after a meeting of all candidates with caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday. While Chava Satish Kumar has been picked for Malakpet, K Manik Rao will contest from Zaheerabad on the TRS flag.

With this, the TRS has announced 107 candidates for the 119-member Assembly. The remaining 12 candidates are also expected to be named soon.

On September 6, KCR and his cabinet passed a resolution to dissolve the Assembly which came into effect after Governor ESL Narasimhan approved it. On the same day, almost all sitting legislators of the TRS were given a ticket to contest the polls yet again.

Only two MLAs were not given a ticket again — the Chennur seat in Mancherial district and Andole in Sangareddy district. “In five places, some discussion is still needed, so the candidates have not been announced yet. This includes Medchal, Malkajgiri, Choppadandi, Vikarabad and Warangal East,” KCR had said.

KCR himself has decided to recontest from his present seat at Gajwel, while his son and IT Minister KT Rama Rao will contest again from Sircilla constituency. Irrigation Minister Harish Rao retained his nomination for the seat from Siddipet.

While the TRS won 63 seats out of the total 119 in the legislative assembly during the 2014 elections, it presently has close to 90 MLAs in its party following a series of defections. In what could be seen as a gamble, many defectors have managed to retain their ticket and will contest the same seats, this time under the TRS banner.

Meanwhile, a team from the Central Election Commission is all set to visit Telangana on Monday and review poll preparedness of the state for the elections to be held on December 7.

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