New Delhi: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi government ad bought 95 lakh sarees from weavers at the state’s Sircilla textile cluster to be distributed as the state’s gift to poor women on the occasion of Bathukamma, a Telangana folk festival celebrated during the Dasara Navratri celebrations. But Election Commission’s sudden decision to impose the poll code in Telangana has forced the K Chandrasekhar Rao government to sit on many plans and announcements it had lined up for the election-bound state.

The sarees have already cost the government Rs 280 crore. At an exhibition of the sarees that IT minister and the chief minister’s son KT Rama Rao had inaugurated just hours before news of the model code of conduct came in, Rao had spoken in some detail about the preparations to distribute the sarees on October 12.

“The government has received 50 lakh sarees and dispatched them to various parts of the state for distribution,” Rao had said. The remaining 45 lakh, he added, would reach by October 10.

A TRS leader said that it appeared the grand plan could get impacted because of the election commission’s circular. He said the government had sought permission to go ahead from election commission officials.

B Vinod Kumar, the TRS Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar said he was hopeful of the election commission’s approval since this was an existing scheme. At the most, the chief minister and other party leaders may not be able to participate in the programme , he said.

The poll code could also impact implementation of Rythu Bandhu, another important scheme which the TRS believes, could be a game changer for the party in the coming elections.