Hyderabad: Attracted by the welfare schemes being implemented here, a section of people from five villages in bordering Nanded district, Maharashtra, has expressed a desire to merge them with the state of Telangana.

The people and elected representatives of various political parties have also decided to contest the forthcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra with the merger demand, the villagers informed the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), an official press statement said here on Tuesday.

"People, including elected representatives from villages spread over five legislative assembly segments from the bordering Nanded district in Maharashtra, are in an agitation mood demanding the state government to either implement the welfare schemes of Telangana state in their villages also or allow their villages to be merged with Telangana," the release from the Chief Minister's office said.

The leaders from Nalgaon, Bhokar, Degloor, Kinwat and Hathgaon assembly segments, who met KCR , sought his support for their agitation and informed that they were ready to contest on the TRS party tickets if allotted.

The people informed that many Telangana government schemes such as the Rs 10,000 financial assistance per acre per year under the Rythu Bandhu, Rs 2016 per month pension, 24-hour uninterrupted free and quality power, Kalyan Laxmi, KCR kits and clothes distribution during the festivals were not available for the Maharashtra people, the release said.

In the past, 40 villages in Dharmabad taluk in the neighbouring state had passed a resolution demanding their merger with the Telangana. Responding to the resolution, the Maharashtra government had then declared Rs 40-crore grant for these villages, but the assistance was yet to be released.

KCR said the demand of the people for the implementation of welfare schemes like the ones in the Telangana was rational and hoped that the Maharashtra government would accede to the demand. (PTI)

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