Campaign is hotting up for the recognised trade union elections of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) with the leaders of ruling TRS and opposition Congress, TDP and CPI electioneering for the success of their respective trade unions in various parts of the coal belt in the region.
With the general elections just one and a half year away, the political parties have taken the Singareni trade union elections, scheduled for October 5, as a prestigious one as they were spread over six districts and would have an impact on 25 Assembly segments in the elections. The Opposition parties have formed into a group to defeat the ruling TRS trade union viz Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham.
The Congress and TDP have announced their support to the AITUC affiliated to the CPI in the Singareni elections and campaigning rigorously. The AICC in-charge of Telangana R.C. Khuntia, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, INTUC national president Sanjeeva Reddy, MLA T. Jeevan Reddy, former Minister D. Sridhar Babu, former MP Ponnam Prabhakar have campaigned in the coal belt along with CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy and appealed the miners to elect AITUC for solution to all problems.
Telugu Desam Party working president A. Revanth Reddy along with senior leader E. Peddi Reddy and others also toured the coal belt and campaigned for the AITUC in the elections. On the other hand, the TRS had also taken up the election as prestigious one and was leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters.
Peddapalli MP Balka Suman, Chief Whip Koppula Eshwar, TSRTC Chairman S. Satyanarayana, the legislators belonging to the coal belt region were campaigning extensively in their respective districts.
The revival of dependent employment scheme had become the main poll issue for all the trade unions and political parties. The ruling TGBKS had been claiming that they would alone ensure the revival of the dependent employment scheme reminding the voters that the AITUC and INTUC were responsible for scrapping the scheme during their regime.
The Opposition ATIUC, INTUC, CITU, HMS and BMS were campaigning that only the national trade union alone would secure the revival of dependent employment scheme by exerting pressure on the Coal India Limited.
TBGKS strategy
Bhadradri Special Correspondent adds: As the campaign for elections hots up the ruling TRS-affiliated Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) is pulling out all the stops to retain the company level representative union status for a second time in a row. It has laid renewed focus on inducting cadre from the major Central trade unions particularly the AITUC and the INTUC in the run up to the election.
