1. Average Assets of Re-Elected MLAs Grew By 75%
If the average assets of re-elected MLAs in 2014 was Rs 8.59 crore, the average assets of re-elected MLAs in 2018 is Rs 15.03 crore. The growth in average assets of re-elected MLAs in the last four years is Rs. 6.43 crore i.e. by 75%, as per an analyses done by civil society organisations — Telangana Election Watch (TEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) — from the self-sworn affidavits of all 119 newly elected MLAs in the Telangana 2018 Assembly Elections.
Also, the average of assets per MLA in the Telangana 2018 assembly elections is Rs 15.71 crore. While two of the 119 MLAs have not declared their sources of income, eight MLAs have not declared income tax details even though some MLAs may be exempted from filing IT returns. TRS MLAs — M Janardhan Reddy (Nagarkurnool) with more than Rs 8 crore, S Rajender Reddy (Narayanpet) with more than Rs 7 crore and A Venkateshwar Reddy (Mahabubnagar) with more than Rs 6 crore — are those with high income as declared in their IT returns.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Modi Magic Fails in Telangana
The ‘Modi wave’ – that BJP leaders in the State was relying on and boasting about – had no effect on Telangana or its people. If anything, the performance of the saffron party hit a new low compared to previous tenure. From 5 seats in 2014, its numbers nosedived to a mere one seat this time, though it contested from all 119 constituencies. In fact, BJP lost its deposit in all of the other four seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the State twice and delivered four public meetings.
Despite that, BJP was not even the runner-up in any of the constituencies Modi visited. Mahabubnagar was one such constituency that BJP desperately wanted to win, which is why both Modi and party President Amit Shah campaigned there. Still, the BJP candidate garnered a mere 5,763 votes. All seven segments of Mahabubnagar put together, BJP won not more than 6,000 votes. The damp squib of the lot was Paripoornanda, a self-proclaimed heavyweight leader.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. Hyderabad an Emerging Real Estate Destination
The growth in real estate investment cycle in residential sector will soon see revival, with a string of regulations under Real Estate Regulatory Authority to improve the sentiments in the real estate sector. While the forecast for the sector in the country is getting positive with the economy growing at 7.2%, it looks even better for Hyderabad, says Karvy India Wealth Report 2018.
Investment on student accommodation is expected to yield 10 to 12% rental returns while keeping accommodation affordable to students. Similarly, investment in warehousing spaces are predicted to yield 10 to 14% rental yield, the report said. Investment in co-working spaces is another area that is catching up under the real estate sector.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Is Communism Finally Facing a Dead End in TS?
It looks like the Assembly elections in Telangana, once a hotbed of communist movement, has sounded the death knell of communist politics in the State. The Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) failed to win a single seat and their combined vote share is less than one per cent.
While the complete decimation of communist parties from political relevance in the region can be gauged from the results in this elections, the situation was different for these parties in the past. In 1952, for instance, when the Hyderabad Legislative Elections were held, the mass front of Communist Party of India had won 35 seats in districts under Telangana region. Apart from this there were other left-oriented parties like the Socialist Party and Peasants and Workers Party of India which also won a f ew seats in that election. In 2004, the left parties had some relevance.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. Congress Increases Vote Share Despite the Drubbing
The results of the Assembly polls might have given a shocker to the Congress, but they have something to cheer about going by the public support they got this elections with their vote share increasing.
The party increased its vote share from the 25.2 percent in 2014 elections to 28.4 percent this year while the ruling TRS increased it by over 11 percent from 34.30 perceny to 46.91 percent. The TDP, on the other side, lost its base from 14.7 percent in 2014 to 3.5 percent this time, mainly due to the lesser number of seats it contested. The BJP reduced its vote share from 7.1 percent to 7 percent. The MIM vote share took a dip from 3.8 percent to 2.7 percent, apparently due to the lesser number of seats it contested while extending its support to the TRS. In erstwhile Nizamabad district vote share of both the TRS and Congress went up while that of the BJP dropped. The BJP, which fought the last election teaming up with the TDP had garnered a 15 percent vote share, but it nosedived to 8 percent having gone alone now.
(Source: The Hindu)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)