Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Central Election Committee has retained three sitting MPs, including State BJP chief and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, in the first list of nine candidates from Telangana for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Kishan Reddy has been retained to contest from Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat. The party has renominated national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar (Karimnagar) and Dharmapuri Arvind (Nizamabad) and held back the name of another sitting MP, Soyam Bapu Rao (Adilabad ST).
The first list released in New Delhi on Saturday has nine names, including two new names. Two-time BRS MP from Zaheerabad B.B. Patil, who joined the BJP on Friday, has been given the ticket while P. Bharat, son of another BRS MP P. Ramulu, who joined BJP the day before, has been named as the candidate from Nagarkurnool SC reserved constituency.
Another new face is Madhavi Latha of Virinchi Hospitals in Hyderabad. She will contest from the MIM stronghold of Hyderabad constituency, represented by Asaduddin Owaisi.
Former MP Konda Vishveshwar Reddy has been given the ticket from Chevella constituency while another senior leader Eatala Rajender managed to pip several strong contenders from Malkajgiri constituency to bag the ticket.
Malkajgiri is the most sought-after seat for BJP leaders with top guns like Muralidhar Rao and chairman of a leading educational group M. Komuraiah trying their luck. Burra Narsaiah Goud will yet again contest from Bhongir parliamentary seat.
New-comers
Party sources said that the next list from Telangana might take one more week. The party is understood to be waiting for some more defections from other parties. For constituencies such as Adilabad, Warangal, Nalgonda, Khammam, Mahabubabad, Medak and Peddapalli, the party is likely to prefer new-comers or those from other parties.
“The party has already identified leaders, who are likely to switch sides,” a top source said, adding that in case of Mahabubnagar, former minister and BJP vice-president D.K. Aruna stands a better chance to bag the ticket while former MP Jithender Reddy is also pitching hard.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kishan Reddy thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president J.P. Nadda, the party leadership, and people for reaffirming their confidence and faith in him.
