HYDERABAD: With the Lok Sabha elections less than a month away, caste associations in Telangana are likely to help the political parties secure seats.
Some of these bodies are not only actively supporting the Congress and the BJP but have also endorsed candidates of these parties.
With Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Backward Classes (BC) comprising over 80 per cent of the population in Telangana, the votes of these communities become crucial for parties hoping to bag the most numbers of seats in the state.
Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) chief Manda Krishna Madiga has not only extended support to the BJP but is also campaigning for saffron party candidates across the state.
The BJP-led Union government has constituted a committee to examine the sub-categorisation of the SCs, which is a longtime demand of the MRPS. Soon after the decision was announced, Manda Krishna declared his support for the saffron party. Political observers said his speeches in the run-up to the Assembly polls also toed the BJP line.
Madiga Dandora extends supports Congress
However, the Madiga Dandora, another association, has extended its support to the Congress.
It is believed that the Madiga community, which is the biggest community under SCs by population, is displeased with the Congress since the grand old party didn’t nominate a single leader from the community for the Lok Sabha elections. In the three SC-reserved segments — Nagarkurnool, Peddapalli and Warangal — the Congress gave the ticket to Mallu Ravi, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna and Kadiyam Kavya. While Ravi (Dasari sub-caste) and Vamsi Krishna are from the Mala community, Kavya is Baindla, a sub-caste of Madiga.
Meanwhile, the National Backward Classes Welfare Association (NBCWA) has extended its support to the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections. After assuming power in the state, the Congress adopted a resolution in the Assembly to conduct a caste census. This has been a long pending demand of the BC community. Soon after the move, NBCWA president and Rajya Sabha member R Krishnaiah announced his support to the Congress.
NBCWA youth wing president Guvvala Bharat Kumar is touring the state as part of the “BC Jodo Yatra” in a bid to create awareness among the BC communities.
Speaking to TNIE, Bharat said: “I am touring across Telangana to create political awareness among the BCs. We are supporting the party which fulfils our demands and works for the welfare of BCs. The Congress government is a step ahead of others in solving the problems faced by the BCs.”