Even as the TRS swept the elections in the entire State, it suffered a setback in the Singareni Collieries area spread across six districts — Peddapalli, Mancherial, Jayashankar-Bhupalapalli, Kumram Bheem-Asifabad, Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Khammam — due to the anti-incumbency factor.
The Singareni coal mines are spread over 12 Assembly segments — Sirpur, Chennur, Mancherial, Bellampalli, Asifabad, Ramagundam, Manthani, Sathupalli, Yellandu, Kothagudem, Bhadrachalam and Bhupalalli.
The anti-incumbency factor resulted in coal miners electing non-TRS candidates from eight Assembly segments and restricting the TRS to only four segments — Sirpur (Koneru Konappa with a margin of 24,036 votes), Chennur (Balka Suman won by 28,132 votes), Mancherial (N Diwakar Rao won by 4848 votes) and Bellampalli (Durgam Chinnaiah with a margin of 11,276 votes).
Congress contestants win from Asifabad (Athram Sakku by 171 votes), Manthani (D. Sridhar Babu 16,230 votes), Yellandu (Haripriya Banothu by 2887 votes), Kothagudem (Vanama Venkateshwara Rao by 4,139 votes), Bhadrachalam (Podem Veeraiah by 11,785 votes) and Bhupalapalli (Gandra Venkataramana Reddy by 15,635 votes). TDP candidate Sandra Venkata Veeraiah won from Sathupalli by securing a lead of 19,002 votes and TRS rebel who contested on All India Forward Bloc ticket Korukanti Chander won the Ramagundam Assembly segment with a margin of 26,429.
Union elections
Incidentally, the coal miners reposed faith in the ruling TRS following its assurance on revival of dependent employment scheme for the benefit of miners and other sops and voted its trade union Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TGBKS) as the recognized trade union last year. Following the non-fulfillment of the poll promises made during the trade union elections such as sanction of interest free loans of ₹ 10 lakh for construction of houses, AC to each miner’s house, corporate hospital treatment and regularization of proxy miners, among others, the coal miners, who elected TRS candidates in all segments of coal belt during the last elections have given a different verdict electing the People’s Front contestants.
In the 2014 elections, Kova Laxmi of TRS won from Asifabad segment by securing a lead of 18,784 votes, Bellampalli Chinnaiah of TRS won by 41,385 votes, In Chennur N. Odelu of the TRS romped home with a margin of 21,262 votes. In Mancherial Diwakar Rao of the TRS won with a margin of 42,017 votes, in Sirpur Konappa (BSP) wrested the seat with 8837 votes over his nearest rival. In Manthani TRS candidate Putta Madhukar got a lead of 19,366 votes, in Ramagundam S. Satyanarayana of the TRS won with a margin of 1719 votes. In Bhupalapalli TRS candidate S. Madhusudhana Chary defeated his nearest rival with a margin of 4099 votes. In Bhadrachalam CPI(M) candidate Rajaiah won with a margin of 1815 votes, in Kothagudem Jalagam Venkat Rao of the TRS won with a margin of 16,692 votes, Sathupalli returned Telugu Desam Party Sandra Veeraiah with a margin of 3055 votes and Yelludu returned Congress candidate Kanakaiah with a victory margin of 11,286 votes.
