New Delhi:The Congress will launch a major outreach programme to woo the OBCs in poll bound Telangana and is also planning to field significant candidates from the community, which accounts for around 52 per cent of the electorate. The Congress is also planning to invite the party’s three OBC Chief Ministers from Karnataka K Siddaramaiah, Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel to launch the community connect drive to be held in October.
“Yes, we are focusing on the OBCs, which are roughly 52 per cent voters in the state. We are planning a drive to connect with the community in which we hope to see our Chief Ministers,” AICC general secretary in-charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre told ETV Bharat. As per Congress strategists, Siddaramaiah will launch the OBC outreach around October 10 as he has a sizeable influence in Karnataka and can woo the voters in neighbouring Telangana as well.
“We hope our performance in Karnataka will have an impact in Telangana also. Our leader Sonia Gandhi has made six promises to the voters here and the presence of Siddaramaiah will showcase that the Congress delivers on its promises,” said Thakre. Gehlot and Bhagel have also been invited to the event to showcase the important positions that these OBC leaders hold in the party and also to highlight the various welfare schemes being implemented by the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh respectively.
Also read:In a first, national Cong leaders campaign door-to-door in 119 seats of Telangana
According to Congress insiders, there are 31 reserved seats for SC/ST communities out of the total 119 seats in the southern state but there is a demand from the OBC leaders that around 34 seats should be given to them to outwit the rivals BRS and BJP. “We hope to give tickets to the OBCs also. I can’t say how many, but certainly it will be more than our rivals,” said Thakre.
Accordingly, a charter for the OBCs, on the lines of separate charters for women, youth and farmers, may also be launched by the party at the start of the community outreach next month. According to AICC insiders, the focus on OBCs in the southern state is not only a part of the national focus that Rahul Gandhi has maintained on the community, it is also to convey a message that the grand old party is not run only by the upper caste Reddy’s, who are politically influential in Telangana.
Sometime ago, a report to this effect was submitted to the high command, said party insiders, adding that over 80 OBC candidates have applied for tickets after duly submitting a fee of Rs 50,000 each. “We are asking for 34 assembly seats for OBCs and at least two seats per Lok Sabha constituency. We are over 50 per cent of the population and should get adequate representation. If tickets are our candidates will win this time. Our leaders Madhu Yashki Goud and Mahesh Kumar Goud are leading a delegation to put up our demands before party president Kharge,” Telangana Congress Working President M Anjan Kumar Yadav told ETV Bharat.
