KCR lists candidates for 115 seats in T'gana polls, to contest from two

Hyderabad: Ruling BRS President and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday stole a march on the opposition Congress and BJP, announcing 115 candidates for the total 119 seats in the upcoming assembly polls, and choosing to contest in two seats himself – Gajwel and Kamareddy.

The schedule for the Assembly elections, which is to be held in the next few months, is yet to be announced by the EC.

Rao, also known as KCR, will be contesting from Gajwel and Kamareddy assembly segments. In the outgoing legislative assembly, he represents the Gajwel seat.

In the 2018 elections, the BRS (then TRS) won 88 out of the total 119 seats in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, while Congress bagged 19 and AIMIM got 7, whereas the BJP managed to get just 1 seat.

This time, KCR said, he expects the BRS to win 95-105 seats. Expressing confidence that his party would retain power in the assembly polls, he said the BRS's friendship with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM would continue.

The two parties have been friendly since 2014, he said at a press conference where he released the list of candidates. Speaking of the Lok Sabha polls to be held in 2024, he said that BRS and AIMIM should win in all 17 parliamentary constituencies of Telangana.

The BRS supremo said his party would unveil its manifesto for the state assembly polls on October 16 in Warangal where it will organise a massive rally.

Asked if his party would forge an alliance with the CPI and CPI(M), he said the question has no relevance after his party released the list of candidates.

The Left parties had supported the BRS in the Munugode assembly bypoll held in November last year which led to speculation that the ruling party may tie up with them in the assembly elections.

In a repeat of his strategy for the 2018 polls, the BRS president re-nominated almost all of the sitting MLAs, changing candidates in only seven segments.

Rao, who highlighted the progress made in Telangana – including on per capita income which he said is ahead of states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu – appealed to the voters of the state to bless the BRS again.

Rao's son and BRS Working President K T Rama Rao will be seeking re-election from Sircilla, while the CM's nephew T Harish Rao will contest again from Siddipet.

He said candidates have been changed in Boath, Khanapur, Asifabad, Wyra, Metpally, Korutla and Uppal. Candidates have not yet been announced for Narsapur, Jangaon, Nampally and Goshamahal, he said, adding that the list will be put out after further examination of aspirants.

Criticising the opposition Congress, Rao, while stating that Karnataka has no relevance to Telangana, alleged that the INC government in the neighbouring state has ignored many promises which it made during Assembly elections there.

Taking a dig at Sharad Pawar, Rao said the NCP chief had allied with Congress – and when he (Rao) had visited Maharashtra, the NCP chief commented asking whether the BRS is the 'B Team of BJP'. Yet, NCP joined the BJP camp within a fortnight, he said. (PTI)