SHG members up in arms for vote money

ADILABAD: Self-Help Group (SHG) members in Adilabad Assembly constituency are up in arms since the bypolls and are staging dharnas in front of the houses of SGH leaders and community officers (CO) for their share of money given by political parties soliciting their votes.On Tuesday, at Bhagyanagar colony, 100 women belonging to 10 groups went to the CO’s house on learning that political parties had given her money to be distributed among SGH members. It is alleged that she did not distribute the amount, but left her house along with family members in the early hours of Sunday, the polling day. Group members said they pocketed total Rs 6.50 lakh (Rs 3 lakh from Congress and Rs 3.50 lakh from TDP).At Riksha colony, two group leaders reportedly got `3 lakh each from Congress and TDP, but only one of them distributed the money. Group members Pushpalatha and Vijayalaxmi said she gave each member `200. Another member did not give any money to any member, they said, adding they complained to revenue officials and to the collector.At Neerala village in Jainath mandal, SGH women staged a dharna in front of the CO’s house alleging she distributed money given by political parties only to 15 members ignoring others. The ‘victims’ complained to revenue and DRDA officials and also decided to file a complaint with the police against her.Women in Jainath, Bela and Adilabad mandals are coming together and asking their leaders to give them their due.