The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday released its first list of 52 candidates for the Telangana assembly polls. Three Lok Sabha MPs have also been named in the list, including former state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar.
The party – hours before releasing the list – revoked the suspension of its firebrand Hindutva leader T Raja Singh and has given him a ticket from the leader’s Goshamahal constituency seat.
While Bandi Sanjay has been fielded from the Karimnagar constituency, the two other MPs who have been fielded by the BJP are, Soyam Bapu Rao from the Boath seat and Dharmapuri Arvind from Koratla.
BJP’s election committee head Eatala Rajender has been fielded from Huzurabad, the seat which the former BRS leaders represents in the outgoing assembly. Rajender will also contest from — a second seat — Gajwel constituency, taking on Telangana chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao. He had earlier indicated that if the party’s senior leadership permits, he will take on KCR in Gajwel, which is currently represented by the BRS supremo.
The list however does not include the name of the party’s state president and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.
The BJP has been putting up a strong front to battle the state’s star party Bharat Rashtra Samithi, while the Congress has also geared up for a tough battle.
WHY WAS RAJA SINGH SUSPENDED?
T Raja Singh was suspended in August last year for his derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed in a video uploaded on social media. The former Goshamahal MLA was also arrested hours after his remarks triggered massive protests in Telangana’s Hyderabad.
Following his controversial remarks, several people belonging to the Muslim community staged protests in various parts of the city demanding Singh’s arrest. Many All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) legislators and corporators of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation reached police stations, where protests were held and sought stringent action against Raja Singh, party sources had said. According to police, complaints were filed against Singh in several police stations under the South, East and West Zones.
He was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act. However, the Telangana High Court in November 2022 had set aside the PD Act invoked against him. Later, he was granted bail.
Now, the party has revoked his suspension considering his explanation in response to the show cause notice served by the party earlier. A statement from BJP’s state president G Kishan Reddy read, “The Central disciplinary committee of the BJP has decided to revoke the suspension of Shri T Raja Singh MLA Goshamahal from the BJP after due consideration of his explanation in response to the show cause notice served by the party. This is for the information of all the concerned.”
WHAT ARE OTHER PARTIES DOING AHEAD OF T’GANA POLLS
BRS President Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday expressed confidence that his party would emerge victorious in the upcoming assembly elections, securing between 95 and 105 seats in the 119-member house.
Speaking at an extensive constituency-level party meeting, Rao said that “youngest state of the country achieved great heights in development through many hardships and sacrifices”. This was in context to the dipping of Telangana’s economic growth due to demonetisation in 2016 and Covid-19 pandemic.
We should not be satisfied with the present growth and achievements. Striving for excellence is a continuous process and we should provide good quality of life to people, he said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, while concluding his three-day campaign trip in Telangana said that those (BJP leaders) who used to swagger around earlier are now queuing up to join the Congress party.
Gandhi touched upon various issues including better support prices to farmers and the “BRS-BJP-AIMIM alleged nexus” and local issues regarding state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL).
“Here (in Telangana), the fight is between Congress and BRS. Earlier, BJP leaders used to swagger around here like Bollywood heroes. They did not even realise that the four wheels of their vehicle had come off. Today, BJP leaders are queuing up to join the Congress. We do not want them,” he said.
“Sonia ji helped you in creating Telangana state and I can also say that had Sonia Gandhi not helped, then a separate Telangana would not have been formed. But Sonia Gandhi ji did not want Dorala (feudal lords) Telangana but Prajala (people’s) Telangana,” he said trying to invoke the Telangana sentiment.
A day prior to this, Gandhi said that caste census work will be taken up across the country if Congress comes to power in Telangana and at the Centre.
He also responded to chief minister Chandrasekhar Rao’s comments that there are no funds for the schemes (guarantees) and said, “KCR ji, it will not be your government but a government of the people. We will take out that (money) which is going into your (KCR) pocket today and give it to the people.”
(With PTI inputs)
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