Revanth, Bhatti Finalise Campaign, Polling Strategy for Municipal Polls

Hyderabad: With municipal elections four days away, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka decided at a strategy meeting on Friday to encourage women voters to step out and vote, as they outnumber men in most municipalities, according to sources.At a closed-door meeting that lasted over an hour, sources said, they finalised the campaign plan to focus on mobilising women votes against the backdrop of the welfare schemes implemented for them, as well as a detailed booth-level management plan of action for February 11 The party is planning a door-to-door outreach in every ward to highlight the benefits that the women were getting through government schemes, including free bus travel, free power up to 200 units, and subsidised LPG cylinders at `500. The meeting has also decided to reach out to women self-help group (SHG) members, highlighting the revival of interest-free and Pavala Vaddi loan schemes that had been discontinued by the previous BRS government. The party will seek the support of SHGs by citing women-focused initiatives such as Indiramma canteens, solar power plants, petrol pumps, and ownership and leasing of buses to TGSRTC. According to sources, the Congress’ campaign will target BRS councillors, corporators, mayors, deputy mayors, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons for obstructing development works in municipalities and municipal corporations despite the Congress government releasing over `1,700 crore for development. The party plans to state that nearly 95 per cent of municipalities and municipal corporations were under BRS control and that development programmes were blocked to discredit the Congress government. The meeting concluded that the party should emphasise that electing Congress representatives in all municipalities and municipal corporations would ensure better coordination and faster implementation of development programmes in towns and cities. This was Bhatti’s first meeting with the Chief Minister after Revanth Reddy returned from a two-week visit to Davos and the United States. While the Chief Minister had earlier met ministers and senior party leaders to discuss municipal poll strategy, Bhatti was away from the city. Revanth Reddy also told party candidates that the government had implemented several welfare schemes over the past two years and that more work remained to be done. He stressed that every vote was crucial and could decide the outcome. The Chief Minister asked candidates to take along those who were denied tickets and avoid complacency. He said the government had issued ration cards to all eligible beneficiaries, supplied fine rice to the poor, provided free power up to 200 units, extended zero-interest loans to women’s groups, sanctioned Indiramma houses for the poor, and introduced free bus travel for women. He instructed municipal candidates to strongly communicate the government’s schemes and their benefits in urban areas, and told them to focus on explaining the work done rather than making false claims. Revanth Reddy said women voters would play a decisive role, surveys were favourable to the Congress, and the party would extend full support to its candidates, cautioning them not to miss any opportunity during the campaign.



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