Telangana polls: A look at key issues in the southern state

As Telangana is all set to go to the polls on November 30, the state witnessed several rallies by political leaders trying to woo the voters with multiple promises. While Telangana will witness a three-way contest among the BRS, BJP and Congress, the southern state has some specific issues that are likely to play a vital role in shaping the narrative of the 2023 Assembly elections.

Here is a list of key issues that the state is facing.

Civic infrastructure: Although ruling BRS claims to have turned Hyderabad into a "global city", the issue of water logging has been a major problem in the state capital. There have also been incidents of people being washed away into drains during the monsoon season. The opposition has been targeting the KCR government on this front. Flooding takes place during monsoons, and though the government has built several flyovers, there are still choke points at many important places.

Job creation: Minister K T Rama Rao said the total number of employees in the IT industry in the state increased to nearly nine lakh from over three lakh in 2014. He further said Hyderabad has surpassed Bengaluru in creating IT jobs. However, according to reports, Telangana is struggling with a limited availability of formal sector employment. Both BJP and Congress have promised the creation of jobs in their poll manifesto for the state.

Welfare schemes: From farm loans to free LPG cylinders and financial assistance to underprivileged people, parties in Telangana included a slew of welfare schemes in their poll manifesto. The guarantees around welfare schemes and the implementation of these schemes are likely to play a key role in shaping the political landscape of Telangana.

Farmers' sentiments: With PM Narendra Modi announcing the establishment of a National Turmeric Board in Nizamabad, turmeric has reportedly turned into an important factor in wooing the farmers' votes in the state. The establishment of such a board has been a long-standing demand of the state's farmers. Acknowledging the significance of farmers' votes in Telangana, all three key parties - BRS, BJP and Congress - have included sops for farmers.

(With PTI inputs)