10g of gold to eligible brides likely in Congress' manifesto for Telangana polls

HYDERABAD: As the poll bugle sounds in Telangana, the Congress is considering including a promise in its manifesto for the upcoming Telangana polls. This promise, under the proposed 'Mahalakshmi' guarantee, may offer eligible women 10 grams of gold at the time of their marriage, according to party leaders.

"Discussions regarding this proposal are ongoing with senior party leaders. In addition to the existing commitment of providing Rs 1 lakh to the bride's family through the 'Mahalakshmi' guarantee, the party is contemplating adding the provision of gold," Sridhar Babu, the chairman of the Telangana Congress manifesto committee said.

"However, this recommendation is not final yet, and its confirmation will depend on the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) and the All India Congress Committee (AICC)," he said.

Congress earlier tabled the 'Mahalakshmi' scheme which will guarantee Rs 2,500 per month for women, an LPG cylinder at Rs 500 and free bus travel for women in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSTRC).

With the announcement of the 'Mahalakshmi' guarantee scheme, the grand old party is trying to woo women voters.

According to the data, the total number of voters in Telangana state stands at 3,06,42,333, wherein 1,53,73,066 are male voters and 1,52,51,797 are female voters, the rest of the voters belong to the third gender.

At present, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, offers the 'Kalyan Lakshmi' scheme.

As per an official statement, the main objective of the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme is to provide financial assistance to new wedding brides who belong to SC, ST and minority families.

Under this scheme at the time of marriage of the bride financial aid will be transferred into the bank account of the mother.

The Telangana Assembly polls are scheduled to be held on November 30 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3.

Telangana is set to witness a triangular contest between the BJP, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and the Congress in the upcoming assembly election.

In the previous Assembly election held in 2018, BRS managed to win 88 seats out of 119 and had a dominant vote share of 47.4 per cent. Congress came in a distant second with 19 seats. Its vote share was 28.7 per cent.