MLC polls: Congress fields 5 candidates

Contest mainly between TRS, Cong; Ruling party confident of big win

Hyderabad: The Congress has announced candidates for five MLC constituencies on Wednesday. The party leadership had earlier decided to field District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents in three constituencies but they refused. The Congress is now fielding its candidates in Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, Medak and Nizamabad districts. In Khammam, the party has decided to extend its support to the CPI candidate.

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy made it clear that it was not fielding its candidates in Adilabad, Karimangar and Warangal districts. He said he had taken that decision as he did not receive proper proposals from DCC presidents. He said the party had given green signal to Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy from Nalgonda, Chandrashekar from Rangareddy, Damodar Reddy from Mahbubnagar, Venkatarama Reddy from Nizamabad and Shivraj Patil from Medak.

The elections for 12 MLC seats will be held on December 27. The TRS is contesting for all seats. The TDP and the BJP failed to field its candidates and now the contest will be between the ruling TRS and main Opposition Congress. The TRS is turning no stone unturned for unanimous win where the TDP and the Congress did not field their candidates.

According to political analysts, the Congress candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy will give tough competition to the ruling party candidate Tera Chinnapa Reddy in Nalgonda district. But TRS is confident that it will easily win the Nalgonda district seat.

The names of candidates contesting in the elections are:

Ranga Reddy (two seats) — Patnam Narender Reddy (TRS), Shambipur Raju (TRS), A Chandrashekar (Congress), Dara Singh (Congress), Bukka Venugopal (TDP), Kotha Ashok Goud (MPTCs Forum).

Karimnagar (2 seats) - Naradasu Laxmana Rao (TRS), Bhanuprasada Rao (TRS), Munipala Tirupathirao (Independent), Muddasani Rangaiah (Independent), Thatipamula Raju (independent), Muthyala Priya Reddy (independent), Jagadeeshwar Reddy (independent).

Mahabubnagar (2 seats) — S Jagadeeshwar Reddy (TRS), K Narayana Reddy (TRS) K Damodara Reddy (Congress), K Dayakara Reddy (TDP), K Srinivasa Chary (Independent), Bolla Karunakar (MPTCs Forum), Jagadeeshwar Reddy (Independent).

Adilabad (1 seat) — Puranam Sathish Kumar (TRS), Riyazuddin (MPTCs Forum), I Narayana Reddy (TDP).

Nalgonda (1 seat) — Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy (TRS), Tera Chinnapa Reddy (TRS), Sadineni Srinivasarao (TDP), Mitta Purushotham Reddy (Independent).

Nizamabad (1 seat) — R Bhupathi Reddy (TRS), K Venkata Ramana Reddy (Congress), B Jagadeesh (MPTCs Forum).

Khammam (1 seat) — Balasani Laxminarayana (TRS), Puvvada Nageshwara Rao (CPI), Lingala Kamalraj (YSRCP), G Laxminarayana (independent), K Laxminarayana (independent),

Warangal (1 seat) — Konda Murali (TRS), Mahabub Reddy (Independent), Chandramouli (independent), Modem Mallesh (independent), A Narender Reddy (TDP), Rangaraju Ravinder (Independent).

Medak (1 seat) — V Bhupal Reddy (TRS), Shivaraj Patil (Congress), Konyala Bal Reddy (TDP).