Representation of Adivasi candidates from Adilabad goes up in Telangana Assembly

Composite Adilabad district is considered as tribal hinterland, courtesy the considerable population of the ethnic tribes

Adilabad: The representation of Adivasi leaders in the State Assembly has gone up drastically with candidates from the Raj Gond community being elected from the two out of the three segments reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Composite Adilabad district is considered as tribal hinterland, courtesy the considerable population of the ethnic tribes. However, the tribals did not have much representation of their community in the Legislative Assembly except for a few instances. As a result, their problems and demands were not debated. Their issues were not brought to the notice of the government.

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In 2009 elections, two candidates such as Godam Nagesh and Athram Sakku from this community were elected from Boath and Asifabad segments. In 2018 polls, only Athram Sakku, a Raj Gond won from Asifabad segment, while Rathod Bapu Rao and Rekha Naik, both from the Lambada community won from Boath and Khanapur Assembly constituencies respectively. In 2004 and 2014 polls, only a single candidate of this tribe managed to win.

However, Kova Laxmi, the daughter of former minister Kotnak Bheem Rao, won against A Shyam Naik from Asifabad by margin of 22,798 votes in recently concluded elections. She contested on the ticket of the BRS. Incidentally, Asifabad segment has been a bastion of candidates from aboriginal tribals ever since it was reserved for STs in 2009.

Meanwhile, Vedma Bojju, another candidate from Raj Gond community and leader of Tudum Debba, a tribal rights organisation won from Khanapur segment in his maiden attempt. Contesting the ticket of the Congress, he defeated A Rekha Naik, fielded by BRS by a margin of 4,702 votes.

The 37-year old Bojju created a record of sorts by winning from the Khanapur segment after a gap of over 30 years. Candidates from Lambada community have been retaining the Assembly constituency from 1994 to 2018. Bheem Rao was the last candidate from the community to have been elected from Khanapur way back in 1989.