Telangana Assembly polls: KCR announces BRS candidates for 115 of 119 seats; just 9 MLAs replaced

He said he was contesting from the second constituency at the request of the local leaders and that there was nothing much to read into it.

The list must have come as a numbing shock to the communists who have been expecting a generous number of seats for them after they helped the BRS win the by-election in Munugode last November.

Throwing a wet blanket on them, KCR announced BRS candidates for all the seats where the communist parties have some presence.

He released the list at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad before media persons at the auspicious hour of Dhanur Lagnam at 2.36 pm on the first Monday of Sravana Masam.

రానున్న తెలంగాణ శాసనసభ ఎన్నికలకు బీఆర్ఎస్ పార్టీ అభ్యర్థుల మొదటి జాబితాను (115 స్థానాలకు) ప్రకటించిన పార్టీ అధినేత, ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ కేసీఆర్‌.

BRS Party Chief, CM Sri KCR announced the first list of BRS candidates (115 constituencies) for the forthcoming Telangana Assembly… pic.twitter.com/LNLohVSRVm

— BRS Party (@BRSparty) August 21, 2023

Also read: BJP gets a rude jolt as trade union leader Kaushik Hari joins BRS

‘Friendship with AIMIM will continue’

The chief minister said that the friendship with AIMIM would continue in the future too, though there would not be any poll pact with them.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections too, the BRS will contest all the 17 seats, he said, while acknowledging the fact that the AIMIM was his political ally, which indicates that the BRS might allow the AIMIM to win the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat.

“We will win the Assembly elections with 95 to 105 seats,” KCR said, adding that all the 29 seats in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts would go to the BRS and the AIMIM.

The chief minister said that the BRS would release the party’s manifesto at the Simha Garjana public meeting, to be organised at Warangal on 16 October.

According to one analyst, KCR’s move of not making many changes in his team might prove counter-productive since some of the MLAs like Bellampalli legislator Durgam Chinnaiah, who have been renominated, had landed themselves in controversies.

A woman director of a private dairy accused that Chinnaiah had sought sexual favours from her and asked her to fix girls for him. The MLA denied the allegations later. He was also accused of assaulting toll plaza staff at Mandamarri in Telangana.

Also read: Why Telangana welfare schemes may become a millstone

Cost of retaining MLAs with anti-incumbency

“It appears that KCR is afraid that if he denies tickets to those who had amassed anti-incumbency, they might join other parties. But, retaining them might prove even more costly,” one analyst told South First.

He added that KCR did the same thing during the GHMC elections and paid a heavy price.

“If the BRS had dropped the deadwood in the GHMC elections, the party’s performance would have been a lot better,” he said.

In 2018, KCR gained a major lead over the Opposition BJP and the Congress by announcing the list of candidates much ahead of the elections. In the last election, when he announced candidates for 105 seats, all of them were sitting MLAs.

The only seats for which candidates’ selections are still pending are Narsapur, Nampalli, Janagoan, and Goshamahal.

Also read: Telangana has become captive in hands of KCR, alleges Kishan Reddy

9 sitting MLAs denied 

In nine seats, the chief minister said, the sitting MLAs have been denied the tickets and fresh faces — including himself in Kamareddy — were being fielded.

The seats are:

• Korutla: Dr K Sanjay (sitting MLA K Vidyasagar Rao)

• Boath: Anil Jadhav (Rathod Babu Rao)

• Khanapur: BJ Rathod Naik (Rekha Naik)

• Asifabad: Kova Lakshmi (Atram Sakku)

• Wyra: B Madanlal (Ramulu Naik)

• Kamareddy: KCR (Gampa Goavrdhan)

• Vemulawada: Ch Lakhsmi Kantha Rao (Ch Ramesh Babu)

• Station Ghanpur: K Srihari (T Rajaiah)

• Cantonment: Lasya (Sayanna, her father, who died).

The chief minister said that from Korutla Dr Sanjay would contest whose father and sitting MLA K Vidyasagar Rao, who is ageing, requested that his son be given a chance.

In the case of Vemulawada, he had to change the candidate since the incumbent Ch Ramesh has citizenship issues.

The chief minister was very categorical that he would not tolerate any dissidence. “If any such activity comes to my notice, I will throw such people out,” he said.

Also read: A look and the 9 MLAs replaced, and fresh faces in the fray

Hanumantha Rao’s demand

When asked about Malkajgiri sitting MLA Mynampalli Hanumantha Rao saying that he would not contest on BRS ticket unless the party gave the ticket to his son, the chief minister said: “We have given him the ticket. It is up to him whether he wants to contest or not.”

Hanumantha Rao, who visited Tirumala shrine on Monday morning, expressed his dissatisfaction with media persons over the party ignoring his request for the Medak ticket for his son. He said he would ensure that his son would win from Medak come what may.

“If the BRS fields both of us, it is fine or I will come out of BRS but both of us will continue to be in the contest,” he said.

He was very critical of Harish Rao for meddling in his constituency. He said Harish Rao had amassed ₹1 lakh crore and that he would not leave him alone.

“I will see that Harish Rao would have no locus standi in Siddipet,” he said and alleged that Harish Rao never encouraged young blood to come into the party.