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Telangana assembly election: 3 Lok Sabha MPs, all 5 sitting legislators of Congress enter fray
Senior Congress leader Tumkunta Narasa Reddy has been fielded against Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao from Gajwel.
The Congress on Sunday gave tickets to three Lok Sabha members and all its five sitting MLAs in Telangana, as it announced its first list of 55 candidates for next month’s assembly elections.
Polling for the 119-member assembly is scheduled to be held in a single-phase on November 30. The counting of votes will be held on December 3.
According to a release from the All India Congress Committee, the party has fielded Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy from Kodandal, Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy from Nalgonda and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy from Huzurnagar.
Besides, the party also gave tickets to all its five sitting MLAs, including PCC working president T Jagga Reddy from Sangareddy, Dhanasari Anasuya alias Seethakka from Mulug (ST), Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka from Madhira (SC), Podem Veeraiah from Bhadrachalam (ST) and Duddilla Sridhar Babu from Manthani.
“The candidates selected in the first list will go on a bus yatra in their respective constituencies immediately. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will participate in the first phase of the bus yatra to be held on October 18, 19 and 20. The second list of candidates will be released shortly,” Revanth Reddy said.
Contrary to the party’s Udaipur declaration which called for party tickets to only one member of a family of each leader, the Congress fielded N Padmavathi Reddy, wife of N Uttam Kumar Reddy from Kodad, and Mynampalli Rohit, son of Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumantha Rao from Medak assembly constituency. Hanumantha Rao has once again been fielded from Malkajgiri.
Senior Congress leader Tumkunta Narasa Reddy has been fielded against Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao from Gajwel. While the party is yet to name its candidate from Kamareddy, a second seat that will be contested by Rao, former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir’s name was proposed by the state unit for the same, according to people aware of the details.
Similarly, the party has not yet finalised the candidates for Siricilla and Siddipet assembly constituencies, from where KCR’s son K T Rama Rao and nephew T Harish Rao are in the fray.
Former minister Jupally Nageshwar Rao, who defected from the BRS recently, was given a ticket from Kollapur assembly constituency.
Senior leaders like former ministers Dr J Geetha Reddy from Zahirabad (SC) and Nagam Janardhan Reddy from Nagarkurnool were dropped by the Congress in its first list of candidates.
Two other prominent leaders from Khammam – Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy – who defected from the BRS, also did not figure in the first list.
Amid ongoing discussions with the CPI and CPI (M) for an alliance, a party functionary said the Congress has tentatively agreed to give two seats to the CPI – Kothagudem and Chennur. The CPI (M) is insisting on Paleru and Miryalaguda seats, but the negotiations are underway, the functionary said, seeking not to be named.
Of the 55 candidates, the Congress has fielded 15 Reddy candidates, 12 Scheduled Castes, two Scheduled Tribes, three Muslims, a Brahmin, besides Velamas, Vysyas and Other Backward Classes among others.
