BRS AIMS FOR MAJOR SWING IN DALIT VOTES IN ITS FAVOUR

'KCR is targeting to get the votes of Telangana's 17% Dalit population, which can help him counter the tide of anti-incumbency'.

- BADAR BASHIR

With the Bharat W Rashtra Samithi (BRS) unveiling the 125-foot statue of B.R. Ambedkar in Telangana, party leaders have said that party supremo K. Chandrashekhar Rao is laser-focused on Dalit voters and wants to clean sweep all 31 reserved seats in the state.

As BRS MLAs represent 28 reserved seats currently, a BRS leader said, "There will be a huge swing in Dalit voters in our party's favour. KCR will mark out the BRS government's initiatives, such as the Telangana State Program for Rapid Incubation Dalit Entrepreneurs Incentive Scheme, which has allowed Dalit entrepreneurs to establish their own units, and the Dalit Bandhu scheme, which promises to empower the community by providing financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to Dalit families. Moreover, in every constituency, there is a target of 1,500 beneficiaries and up until now, there are already hundreds of beneficiaries (of 10 lakh assistance) in each constituency."