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TRS retains Telangana, crushes Congress (Fourth Lead)
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, Dec 11 (IANS) Riding high on Telangana pride and welfare schemes, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao led his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to a thumping victory, crushing the Congress-led alliance in India’s youngest state.
Beating all expectations of pre-poll surveys and exit polls, the TRS appeared set to win a whopping 77 seats in the 119-member Assembly, triggering wild celebrations by party leaders as well as activists all over the state.
The gamble for early polls appeared to have paid rich dividends for the regional party as it bagged 77 seats and was leading in 10 constituencies.
The Congress-led People’s Front, which was expected to give a tough fight to TRS, won only 17 seats and was leading in five places.
TRS chief and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was re-elected from Gajwel constituency. His son K.T. Rama Rao and nephew Harish Rao also retained Sircilla and Siddipet seats.
A jubilant Chief Minister told the media that he would work to evolve an alternative to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress with a new economic model.
“Grateful, indebted and humbled. Thanks Telangana for keeping the faith in KCR Garu and giving us another opportunity to serve you,” tweeted Rama Rao, his son and a Minister.
KCR’s daughter and TRS MP K. Kavitha said there was no anti-incumbency as the TRS government had done well on all fronts during the last four-and-a-half years.
“KCR’s hard work has paid off,” said Kavitha, adding that it was both welfare programmes and Telangana pride which worked for the party in this election.
TRS bagged 63 seats in 2014 but increased its tally to 90 with over two dozens MLAs from other parties crossing over to the ruling party. It fielded all sitting legislators and most of them retained their seats.
TRS recorded massive victory in all the regions. Barring Khammam district, it made almost a clean sweep in north Telangana and dominated south Telangana. It also made huge inroads in Greater Hyderabad, where the TDP-BJP alliance had won most seats in the previous election.
Since the dissolution of the Assembly, KCR had been confident of winning over 100 seats. While many had dismissed this as over-confidence, his prophecy came true with the TRS almost hitting the target with its ally AIMIM.
TDP, which won 15 seats in 2014, was ahead in just two segments. The BJP, which had 5 seats in the dissolved Assembly, won only one seat.
Many top leaders of the Congress including those Chief Minister candidates were defeated. They include floor leader in the dissolved Assembly K. Jana Reddy, state working presidents Revanth Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar and former central Minister Sarve Satyanarayana.
The Congress, which bagged 21 seats in 2014, may finish with a tally of 20. The Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and Communist Party of India (CPI), two other constituents of People’s Front, drew a blank.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won four seats and was leading in three. Thus it appeared set to retain all seven seats.
As many as 73.20 per cent of 2.80 crore electorate voted in the elections held in all 119 constituencies on Friday.
KCR dissolved the Assembly in September, eight months before its term was to end.
Initially focussing on welfare and development schemes, KCR made Telangana pride a key issue when the TDP joined hands with the Congress.
Portraying TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu as an enemy of Telangana’s interests, the TRS chief had urged people not to allow outsiders to decide their future.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.