Telangana Assembly Elections: Congress micromanaging poll campaign, focus on minorities

As Telangana goes to polls later this month, the Congress has sped up its campaign in the southern state with community outreach drives and the distribution of guarantee cards. Reports ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi: The Congress has started micro-managing the party’s Telangana campaign by reaching out to various social groups and explaining the poll guarantees to them. Polling for the 119-member Telangana assembly will be held on November 30. The result would be out on December 3.

The Congress has been out of power since the state was formed in 2013 and is betting this time on the two-term anti-incumbency of the ruling BRS. Accordingly, the Congress campaign has so far been focused on the failures of the KCR government and the grand old party’s poll guarantees.

“We have started micro-management which includes community outreach, booth management and distribution of guarantee cards. As part of the drive, we have started holding small corner meetings with members of various communities. During such interactions, we explain the party’s promises to them and seek their support. This is an effective style of campaigning,” AICC secretary BM Sandeep Kumar told ETV Bharat.

According to party insiders, the community outreach includes the OBCs like Kamma, Kappa, SC, ST, Muslims, and Christians as well as the upper caste Reddy. Recently, an OBC leader Dr P Vinay Kumar, formerly of the Praja Rajyam Party, merged his outfit with the Congress while an influential former MP from the Madika community leader joined the grand old party, said party insiders.

The Congress is also trying to woo the 13 percent Muslims in the state besides the Christians and has held several minority conventions in Secunderabad, Kalwakurthy and Shadnagar areas over the past week. “The Muslim and Christian minority declaration showcased the party’s commitment to the needs of the communities and marked an important step towards inclusive development. The BRS just pays lip service to the minority communities,” said AICC secretary in charge of Telangana Mansoor Khan.

AICC minority department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi also has been campaigning across the Muslim-dominated seats in the state to woo the community by talking about the future of the youth and the need for their educational and financial upliftment. “I urge the voters not to support those who use religion for politics. The BRS and the AIMIM are allies,” said Pratapgarhi.

The Congress has also deployed leaders from neighbouring states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra to show its seriousness in the Telangana polls. These include former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who has been campaigning in the Khanapur and Nizamabad constituencies over the past two days, and Karnataka minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

“Rahul Gandhi's campaign has significantly boosted our morale, infusing a wave of enthusiasm and optimism throughout Telangana. We are confident that the Congress will sweep the assembly elections with a resounding majority, winning at least 75 seats to form the government. The Congress party's commitment to Telangana is demonstrated through our 6 strategic guarantees, a plan inspired by our successes in Karnataka. These are not mere promises, but a concrete roadmap for realizing the vision of a thriving golden Telangana. We will walk the talk and Congress will deliver as promised,” said Rao.