Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided to not contest in the upcoming elections to three vacant MLC seats in Telangana, a party leader familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The Election Commission on Monday issued the notification for the elections, scheduled to be held on February 27, to the three MLC seats in three constituencies –– Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal teachers constituency; Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar teachers constituency; and Karimnagar-Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad graduates constituency.
Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have decided to field their candidates. BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), however, told party leaders not to contest the elections or extend support to any contestant. At a meeting of the party leaders on Monday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao conveyed KCR’s message to the party leaders.
“Any defeat of the party candidate in these elections will cause further damage to the party, which has already suffered losses in the state assembly and Lok Sabha elections,” a BRS functionary said on condition of anonymity.
He said that KTR asked party leaders to focus on winning as many seats as possible in the local body elections likely to be held in the last week of February and first week of March.
{{/usCountry}}He said that KTR asked party leaders to focus on winning as many seats as possible in the local body elections likely to be held in the last week of February and first week of March.
{{/usCountry}}So far, the Congress has announced the candidacy of V Narender Reddy, chairman of a chain of educational institutions from Karimnagar, for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates constituency.
On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party announced the candidates for all the three MLC seats: Puli Sarottham Reddy for Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers constituency, Malka Komaraiah for Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar teachers constituency, and C Anji Reddy for Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates constituency.
The nominations for the MLC elections for these three seats will be received till February 10 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 13. The polling will be held from 8am to 4 pm on February 27 and the results will be announced on March 3, the notification issued by the Election Commission said.