Munugode, BJP impact: TRS to fan out across state to spread word on schemes, start poll work

Bypoll victory margin of 10,000 against BJP after party, govt had put in their all seen as a warning by TRS of its imprint in Telangana

Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K. Chandrashekar Rao addresses the party's general body meeting, in Hyderabad, Nov. 15, 2022. (PTI)

THE Munugode Assembly bypoll hung heavy on the extended executive meeting held by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) last week, particularly the narrow victory margin of just over 10,000 votes against the BJP.

Treating it as a forewarning that the bypoll wins of the BJP earlier in Dubbaka and Huzurabad were not flukes, the ruling Telangana party is set to undertake introspection and a thorough review of its government’s welfare policies and their implementation, to begin with. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s welfare schemes are seen as the prime reason behind the TRS’s popularity.

Another question foremost in the minds of those who attended the meeting – including all TRS MLAs, MPs and MLCs – was if the CM would go in for early polls, to deny the BJP a chance to build on the Munugode momentum.

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However, KCR set that speculation at rest, and advised his party leaders to go to their constituencies, stay put there and work hard for the next few months before the polls, which would be held as per schedule, and not to visit Hyderabad without a valid reason.

To put the elected members at ease and to ward off any disgruntlement, KCR, also the TRS president, announced that all of them would get tickets, but with a warning that if they do not perform properly in the coming few months, they may be axed. In a silent acknowledgement of the threat from the BJP, the CM specifically asked them to counter the BJP aggressively.

Also read | Despite impressive show in Munugode, BJP may have a long way to power in Telangana

Pointing out that the TRS government’s welfare schemes had won it two sweeping elections to power, KCR unveiled an action plan to ensure proper implementation of the schemes as well as to bring under them more beneficiaries. TRS MLAs and MPs were asked to follow the plan, even try and reach out to each and every beneficiary and address their concerns, if any.

As part of this, the TRS will appoint an in-charge for every 100 voters who would be in constant touch with them. Over the next few days, ministers, MLAs, and party leaders will also be given specific tasks to complete ahead of the Assembly elections next year.

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For rollout of the next scheme on the state government’s table – Dalit Bandhu – MLAs were asked to speed up identification of 500 Dalit beneficiaries in each constituency. Work on allocating double bedroom houses to eligible beneficiaries under another scheme is also being expedited.

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy told The Indian Express that the TRS government’s schemes were a “model” for others. “The task now is to reach out to the people and explain all this to them, again and again. Some of the schemes like Rythu Bandhu have been taken up by other states under different names. The CM asked us to meet with the beneficiaries and emphasise that they must vote the TRS to power for a third time and these schemes would continue.”