Hyderabad: Political alliances have gone for a toss in the elections for the recognised union in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) with the ruling Congress extending support to a coalition of Telangana Workers’ Union, an independent group, and Staff and Workers’ Federation affiliated to CITU.
The Oct 9 elections would decide a recognised union at the state level and for recognition of unions for 15 RTC regions. There are nearly 36,000 voters comprising conductors, drivers and all other staff up to the rank of traffic inspector-II. If Telangana Workers’ Union along with Staff and Workers Federation, Ashwathama Reddy-led faction and INTUC (Congress)-affiliated Staff and Workers Union are contesting as a coalition, on the other side of the spectrum is CPI-affiliated TSRTC Employees’ Union along with its alliance partner Thomas reddy-led Telangana Mazdoor Union and National Mazdoor Union. CPI state secretary Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao slammed Congress for supporting an independent union, Telangana Workers’ Union, by ignoring its own INTUC-affiliated staff and workers’ union only to defeat CPI-affiliated coalition i.e., AITUC’s TSRTC Employees’ Union in the election. Voters will be given two ballot papers, one for electing state-level recognised union and the other for regional union. Those ranked above traffic inspector-II are not eligible to vote.