ADILABAD: The BJP is consolidating its support base among the Adivasis, especially in the erstwhile Adilabad district, after the tribals voted in large numbers for it during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections at the expense of the BRS and the Congress.
In the recent Assembly elections too, Adivasis backed BJP candidates in constituencies like Adilabad, Sirpur Kagaznagar, Nirmal, Mudhole and Khanapur. The shift in allegiance is attributed to the party’s efforts to address the long-standing concerns of the tribal community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused the BRS and Congress of neglecting Adivasis and treating them as a mere vote bank. His government announced the Pradhan Mantri Jan Man Yojana in 2023 by allocating Rs 24,000 crore for the development of marginal tribals, including Chenchus, Kolams, Kondareddys and Thotis.
The BJP-led Centre also commemorated Telangana legends Komaram Bheem and Ramji Gond, who fought for freedom. In 2023, the Union Minister for Tribals laid the foundation stone for the Ramji Gond memorial, a museum for tribal freedom fighters and the Tribal Research Institute in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders have been highlighting that the party has elected a tribal woman as the President of India and also recognises the contribution of Ghussadi artists by conferring a Padma Shri thus giving national recognition to the art form.
The Adilabad parliamentary seat, reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), was won by the BJP in 2019 with an Adivasi candidate from the Gond community winning by a 50,000-vote margin.
Curiously, the BJP is yet to announce its candidate for the 2024 General Elections for the Adilabad Lok Sabha seat.