Telangana Assembly Election LIVE: Last Day of Campaigning Ahead of Nov 30 Polling; Rythu Bandhu Setback to KCR

Maharashtra Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, during campaigning in Telangana’s Devarakonda said, “BJP has stated clearly that our government will come to power here and we will the CM will be from BC (Backward Class) community…BRS is going to get such a jolt on 3rd December that they will understand where does public stand…”

BRS MLC K Kavitha holds a roadshow in Telangana’s Nizamabad on the last day of campaigning for the November 30 polls.

Reacting to the Election Commission stopping the Congress-led Karnataka government’s ads in Telangana, Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, “…We’ve not asked for votes. We only gave advertisement on the works done by our government here.”

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah commented on the Election Commission stopping the Karnataka government ads in Telangana and said, “We did not influence Telangana voters. We have stopped the advertisement now.”

After interacting with auto drivers, gig workers and sanitary workers in Jubilee Hills area amid campaigning for the Telangana election, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi takes a ride in an autorickshaw.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while commenting on the row in Telangana, said that BJP and BRS have “come together and doing politics”.

“…PM Modi accuses Rajasthan of paper leaks but Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, all states are witnessing paper leaks…” Gehlot added.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the BJP is fearing defeat in Telangana, and that is also why they have tried to stop Karnataka government’s advertisement campaign.

Telangana election is not only a war between promised Congress and corrupted BJP but also a conflict between truth of Congress party and BJP’s lies, the CM said.

Siddaramaiah said, “Because of Congress Govt in Karnataka fulfilling guarantees, people of Telangana are trusting the Congress guarantees there.”

BRS MLC K Kavitha said that the youth of Telangana and the nation are being cheated by Congress. “I want to challenge Congress and Rahul Gandhi that whatever we did in Telangana to create jobs, we are the highest in creating government jobs across the nation. I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi if any of your Congress ruled states have given even one more job than what we have given in Telangana, I will personally not contest the poll ever again. I want Rahul Gandhi to accept this challenge…” Kavitha told ANI.

BRS MLC K Kavitha, while reacting to the row over ads of the Congress-led Karnataka government in Telangana, said that “Congress local leadership imitating the Karnataka Congress’ policy has started giving away individual bond papers to the voters of Telangana…They could not fulfill any of their promises in Karnataka. Despite 223 members of the Karnataka Congress giving guarantees, including the CM and Deputy CM, Congress could not succeed in delivering the promises. They are cheating Telangana people once again using the same bond paper strategy.”

Kavitha said that she just wants to expose Congress’ ‘idiotic poll strategy’ in front of the nation “because they will come up with the same strategy everywhere…”

“It is nothing but fooling the people of this nation and I really believe that Election Commission of India should seriously take this issue into cognisance and take action against Congress party…” Kavitha added.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a jibe at Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in his post on X and said, “Just passed by the new Secretariat building in Hyderabad. KCR was present only for its inauguration before retreating back to ruling Telangana from his farmhouse. This building will very soon become the symbol of Prajalu Telangana under a new Congress CM — a hub of people-centric governance.”

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that the Election Commission only acts on the complaints of BJP. He said that the prime minister goes everywhere and uses vile language that is not seen by the EC.

“Can people get influenced by other state government’s ad in another state? What is this logic?” Tiwari asked.

The ‘Rythu Bandhu’ scheme is the much-publicised farmer direct income support scheme of Telangana’s ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi. The scheme is the brain child of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The scheme was first launched in 2014 and the Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department of Telangana Government introduced it in 2018. Under the scheme, cash grants of Rs 5,000 an acre for a crop season is given to the farmers to enable them to meet contingencies and increase their agricultural production.

The scheme’s key objective is to prevent farmers from taking personal loans at obnoxious interest rates and rescue them from financial pitfalls.

The campaigning for the November 30 Telangana Assembly election will end at 5 pm today.

Telangana witnessed the longest poll season in comparison to the other four states, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where elections have already been held.

The Model Code of Conduct came into force in Telangana after the Election Commission announced the schedule on October 9.

BRS, BJP and Congress have all been engaged in a high-octane battle to form government in the state.

Union Minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal exuded confidence in his party and said that they will win the assembly elections in Telangana, adding that, “after winning the double engine government will leave no stone unturned in making the state developed…”

“BJP will defeat BRS and Congress and form government here. BJP will end corruption, appeasement politics here and will establish good governance…” Goyal added.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday served notice to Karnataka chief Secretary over advertisements of various welfare schemes and achievements in the state of Telangana over the past week.

The ECI, in the two-page order, asked the Karnataka government to immediately stop such advertisements and sought a response on it by 5 pm. READ MORE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that BJP will free Telangana from the clutches of BRS and said that it is his party’s resolve to send the corrupt leaders of the Chandrasekhar-Rao-led party to jail.

Modi, who addressed election rallies at Mahabubabad and Karimnagar, said, “The saffron party considers as its responsibility to bring Telangana out of the clutches of BRS… whatever the scams KCR (K Chandrasekhar Rao) was involved in here” would be probed by the BJP government (if elected).

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Monday attacked the BJP and BRS and said that their policies are “only to stay in power so that their party and their leaders become rich”.

“During elections, they do the work of vote management but they have to be explained that the people of Telangana will not be sold, the people here have fought for their rights before and will fight even today,” she added.

Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy on Mondya said that Hyderabad would be renamed as ‘Bhagyanagar‘ if his party comes to power in the state. Reddy, while speaking to reporters, said the name cities like Madras, Bombay and Calcutta have been changed.

“Yes. Definitely, if the BJP government comes to power, (we) will change the name of Hyderabad. I am asking who is Hyder? Do we need the name of Hyder? Where has Hyder come from? I am asking who needs Hyder. If BJP comes to power, definitely, (we) will remove Hyder and change the name as Bhagyanagar,” he said.

Reddy asked that why should the name not be changed. The name of Madras has not been changed to Chennai by the BJP but by the DMK government, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday again slammed the Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao over his “superstitious beliefs”.

“Telangana is identified with tradition and technology, but KCR has branded it as superstitious,” PM Modi said.

Addressing a rally in Telangana’s Mahabubabad, the prime minister added, “KCR has been leaving no stone unturned to destroy Telangana. Telangana doesn’t need this farmhouse CM. This CM will lose on December 3 (election results day).” READ MORE

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a public meeting, said that there was an atmosphere of “anger” against the ruling BRS in Telangana, adding that the people did not want the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led party to come back to power.

Shah attacked the BRS and Congress over ‘parivarvaad’ (dynasty) rule and said that if people elect BJP to power, the chief minister will be made from a Backward Class. However, if people vote for BRS or Congress, the chief minister will be from one particular family.

The Election Commission, late on Monday, declared that the ads by Karnataka’s Congress government, which were being shown in Telangana and flaunted as its achievements to be replicated in Telangana, were a violation of the model code of conduct. This action was based on a complaint filed by BJP.

The BJP on Monday said that the Congress government in Karnataka has been putting out advertisements in the Telangana media with an eye on the assembly polls in the state, and urged the Election Commission to take action against the party.

A BJP delegation, including Union minister Bhupender Yadav, former minister Prakash Javadekar and party leaders Sudhanshu Trivedi and Om Pathak, submitted a complaint to the EC, saying the Congress has violated the Representation of the People Act and the Model Code of Conduct.

Citing poll rules and regulations, Yadav said it is a “corrupt practice” aimed at influencing polls and asserted that such action is another evidence of the opposition party devaluing democratic institutions and norms. READ MORE

Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao, whose alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct led the Election Commission to withdraw its permission for disbursement of Rythu Bandhu Scheme funds, on Monday accused the Congress of making the “anti-farmer” complaint to the poll body.

Rao alleged that the Congress “treats farmers as vote banks”. “When they are in power, they will not give a single penny to farmers, but will raise objections if KCR gives Rythu Bandhu. This decision was taken after Congress leader G Niranjan complained to the EC,” Rao added.

Although EC said that it made the decision after Rao’s speech was widely reported in media, Rao alleged that the decision was taken on the basis of a complaint sent by G Niranjan, senior vice president of Telangana Congress.

Niranjan, in his response, said that he never asked the EC to stop the disbursal of aid. “Yes, I brought it (Rao’s speech) to the notice of the Election Commission, but it did not mention my complaint in its notice. I never asked the EC to stop Rythu Bandhu (funds). I had made a complaint on the basis of a speech he (Rao) had made during an election campaign,” Niranjan told News18.

The Congress on Monday slammed the BRS over the EC’s withdrawal of the permission given to the Telangana government for disbursements of financial aid to farmers under the Rythu Bandhu scheme, alleging that it was a result of the irresponsible and self-serving approach of the KCR-led party.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal wrote, “Due to the irresponsible and narrow self-serving approach of the BRS and Harish Rao, under the instructions of his boss KCR, the ECI has denied permission for the disbursement of the Rythu Bandhu installments.”

“The money is the right of the farmers. It is what they deserve for their year-long hard work. When this money is supposed to be released any time between October and January, it was the BRS’ desperation which compelled them to make such irresponsible statements,” Venugopal added.

Terming this as another “sin committer by the BRS”, the Congress leader said that the party’s mistake will not be forgiven by the farmers of Telangana.

The Election Commission on Monday withdrew the permission given to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)-led state government for disbursements of financial aid to farmers for rabi crops under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme. This decision came after a state minister violation the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by making a public announcement about it.

According to the conditions placed under the MCC, the state was asked not to publicise the disbursement during the poll code.

“The Commission has observed that T Harish Rao, Minister of Finance and Heath and Family Welfare, Govt of Telangana … has not only violated the provisions of MCC (model code of conduct)… but also conditions laid down as above by publicising the release under the scheme, and thereby disturbed the level playing field in the ongoing election process,” the EC’s letter to the state chief electoral officer (CEO) read.

Rao had reportedly said, “The disbursement will be made on Monday. Even before the farmers complete their breakfast and tea, the amount will be credited into their account.”