Hyderabad: Weeks after its defeat within the Telangana meeting polls, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has misplaced its grip over the Singareni coal staff’ union — one of many nation’s largest.
Whereas the Communist Social gathering of India (CPI)-linked All India Commerce Union Congress (AITUC) emerged because the winner within the Singareni Collieries Firm Ltd (SCCL) commerce union elections held Wednesday, the Congress-backed Indian Nationwide Commerce Union Congress (INTUC) got here a robust second place.
Though the Congress and the CPI are companions within the INDIA bloc of opposition events on the nationwide degree and had contested the Telangana meeting polls collectively, they went separate methods within the commerce union elections, with the INTUC now accusing the CPI of colluding with the BRS to defeat it.
The Singareni coal staff’ union has 39,773 voters, of whom as many as 37,451 voted in a secret poll Wednesday, registering a turnout of 94 p.c. Counting started quickly after the voting ended Wednesday night.
The INTUC and the AITUC had been within the ballot area below their native names — the Singareni Coal Mines Labour Union and the Singareni Collieries Employees Union, respectively.
Of the 11 divisions within the coal belt unfold over north Telangana’s Khammam-Warangal-Karimnagar-Adilabad areas, 5 went to the AITUC and 6 to the INTUC. Nevertheless, having secured 43.20 p.c of the votes general, the AITUC would be the recognised staff’ union of the SCCL. The INTUC obtained 37.86 p.c of the votes.
The Bharat-Rashtra Samithi (BRS)-linked Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), which was victorious within the 2012 and 2017 union elections, out of the blue grew to become inactive after the BRS’s loss within the state polls and was decimated this time.
Within the 2017 polls, TBGKS had gained 9 divisions, however this time, it secured a vote share of simply 3.47 p.c. BRS MLC and former Telangana chief minister Ok. Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter, Ok. Kavitha, is the honorary president of TBGKS.
As many as 13 unions had been within the fray, together with the Communist Social gathering of India (Marxist)-backed Centre of Indian Commerce Unions (CITU) and the Sangh Parivar’s Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).
The Singareni coal belt overlaps 11 meeting segments in Telangana, of which the BRS may win just one this time. 9 went to the Congress and one to its associate, the CPI.
Purported strikes to privatise the coal mining firm in north Telangana had change into one of many points within the polls.
SCCL is collectively owned by the Telangana authorities and the central authorities on a 51:49 fairness foundation. The BRS has been accusing the Narendra Modi authorities of creating veiled makes an attempt to privatise the solely coal-producing firm in southern India, pointing to the open public sale of mines.
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BRS’ ‘withdrawal’ & Congress’ ‘initial disinterest’
The union polls, after a two-year delay, had been scheduled to be held in October however in response to Janak Prasad, normal secretary of INTUC, Singareni, the SCCL administration and the Telangana authorities pushed for postponement then too, “citing lame excuses like the impending assembly elections”.
The method of nominations and poll papers was accomplished then.
The state polls had been gained by the Congress and the brand new Revanth Reddy authorities, which took over in early December, reportedly argued within the Telangana Excessive Court docket for the commerce union elections to be held in March 2024. The court docket declined the request final week and the polls had been carried out Wednesday.
A couple of days forward of the polls, three key TBGKS leaders — president Venkat Rao, normal secretary Miryala Raji Reddy and dealing president Ok. Mallaiah — resigned from their posts “in protest against the BRS leadership’s decision to sit out the polls”.
“Kavitha conveyed to us ‘KCR’s decision’ to stay away from the elections. They were apparently apprehensive of a defeat as the cadres, too, were dejected with the assembly poll loss. We decided to resign as there is no point in leading a union which sits out the polls,” Miryala instructed ThePrint Thursday.
The three reportedly deliberate to hitch the INTUC however shelved the concept together with the choice to resign from the TBGKS “after a top BRS leader’s request”. A number of lower-level leaders and staff of the union have, nevertheless, moved into the AITUC and INTUC camps.
Whereas Kavitha didn’t canvass for the polls, Miryala stated the decision given to BRS/TBGKS supporters “was to vote with their conscience”.
Some experiences claimed {that a} day earlier than the polls, BRS/TBGKS functionaries at native ranges had been directed to increase assist to CPI’s AITUC “in order to keep the Congress’s INTUC out”.
Talking to ThePrint, Janak Prasad stated: “The BRS and the CPI colluded to defeat us. The 2,000-odd votes the AITUC received over us is the result of this grouping. Otherwise, it would have been the INTUC leading the union this time.”
ThePrint reached Kavitha and Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao — the CPI legislator from Kothagudem, one of many meeting segments within the Singareni coal belt — over the cellphone for his or her responses to the TBGKS and INTUC leaders’ statements. This report shall be up to date when a response is obtained.
A national-level INTUC chief instructed ThePrint: “While the BRS and the CPI were in such collusion, our Congress’s Telangana leaders and ministers who had just assumed power appeared disinterested in the Singareni polls. Regrettably, the new Congress government, too, wanted the polls to be postponed again. We had to prevail upon the CM to take Singareni seriously”.
Later, cupboard ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy campaigned in Singareni, interacting with miners and making guarantees of housing websites and interest-free loans.
The alleged Singareni privatisation try was one of many points talked about however was stated to not be of any fast concern within the current polls.
“The privatisation fears are long-term, based on perceptions arising out of mine auctions (instead of allocation to government companies) and other moves like outsourcing some works,” a commerce union chief instructed ThePrint.
Even because the BRS accused the BJP-led central authorities of planning the SCCL’s privatisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, talking at a public occasion in Ramagundam in November 2022, had stated that there was no such proposal.
“Some vested elements are spreading false narratives about the state-owned collieries company for their selfish political motives,” he had stated.
Regardless of dropping the highest spot to the AITUC, the INTUC’s spectacular present within the union polls, Congress leaders consider, will assist the celebration within the normal elections. The Singareni coal mines are dottted throughout 5 of Telangana’s 17 Lok Sabha constituencies.
TBGKS leaders are, in the meantime, mulling choices.
“In the wake of poll-time developments, keeping our supporting workers and their interests in mind, we are considering running the TBGKS without BRS affiliation. However, we are still open to discussions with Kavitha or KCR on the matter,” stated Miryala.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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