Hyderabad: BJP releases third list of 35 candidates

Hyderabad : The BJP on Thursday announced 35 candidates for the ensuing polls, making a total of 88 candidates in the first, second and third lists against the 119 Assembly segments.

According to sources, the party is yet to make a final decision on seat sharing with the NDA alliance partners and Jana Sena (JSP). However, with the election notification all set to be announced the fourth list will also be out in the next few days, they added.

The party has followed its earlier social composition allocating the third list of candidates with three seats for STs and five for SCs. Challa Srilatha Reddy is the lone woman candidate in the list; she will contest from Huzurnagar. Nominees for two main segments on which all eyes were focused have been announced. Poosa Raju will be in the fray from Musheerabad, which was earlier represented by Rajya Sabha MP Dr K Laxman. The party will field former minister Krishna Yadav from Amberpet, which was represented thrice by MP and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

However, confusion continued over the Andole seat which has been allotted to Palle Mohan Babu; he had announced that he won’t be contesting. Of the 88 candidates the party announced, 22 are SCs and STs, 33 BCs and 33 OCs, besides, 13 women.

Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the BJP is the only party to show courage to announce to make BC the CM. “BJP is the only party which has made an OBC the PM; dalit, minority and STs Presidents.”

Taking strong exception to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BRS executive president KT Rama Rao's statements, he called for chasing away both parties for insulting BCs; show strength of BCs to Congress and BRS.”

Goshamahal MLA Raja Singh slammed both the Congress and BRS for ‘cheating BCs and conspiring to prevent a BC from becoming CM. He said time has come for BCs, who comprise 50 per cent of State population to show their strength to teach a lesson to both the Congress and BRS. Singh said the party is certain to come to power in State and make a BC the CM. He appealed to people to think and give their verdict.