The Congress on Wednesday released a second list of 10 candidates for the Telangana Assembly elections. It had unveiled its first list on Monday.
The elections were announced after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the 119-seat Assembly in September. The state was earlier scheduled to go to the polls by May 2019.
Former legislator Vishnuvardhan Reddy – the son of former Congress MLA P Janardhan Reddy – will contest from Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad.
Former Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader Ramesh Rathod, who joined the Congress in September after the ruling party denied him a ticket, will contest from Khanapur. Senior Congress leader Gandra Venkatramanna Reddy will contest from Bhupalpalle.
In the first list, the party nominated Vanteru Pratap Reddy from Gajwel, the seat from where the chief minister is likely to contest. State Congress President N Uttam Kumar Reddy will contest from Huzurnagar while his wife Padmavati Reddy has been fielded from Kodad.
Senior state leaders, however, have expressed disappointment with the choice of candidates. Former state Congress committee President Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who had also served as a minister in Congress governments till 2014, visited Delhi after he was not included in the first list. Bikshapati Yadav, whose constituency Serilingampalli was allotted to ally Telugu Desam Party, said he has already conducted a “padayatra” there. “Is this the result the party gives for having served it?” PTI quoted him asking.
The Congress will field candidates in 93 constituencies, while its allies – the Telugu Desam Party, the Telangana Jana Samithi, and the Communist Party of India – will contest 14, eight and three seats.
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