The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Wednesday announced 10 more candidates for the upcoming polls in the state for the 119-member Legislative Assembly. With this, the TRS has announced 117 candidates and is yet to announce names for only two more seats – Musheerabad in Hyderabad and Kodad in Suryapet district. While the Musheerabad seat is held by Telangana BJP chief Dr K Laxman, Kodad is held by Padmavathi Reddy, the wife of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Uttam Kumar Reddy.
In a major announcement, the TRS has fielded former minister Danam Nagender, who had joined the TRS in June this year, from Khairatabad in Hyderabad, to go up against TPCC Chief Spokesperson Sravan Dasoju.
The TRS said that the candidates for the remaining two seats would be announced shortly after a meeting of senior candidates and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The last day for filing nominations is November 19.
Others who were named include businessman-politician and present Malkajgiri MP Malla Reddy for Medchal, Prem Singh Rathod for Goshamahal, Mohammed Salauddin Lodhi for Charminar, Warangal Mayor Nannapaneni Narender has been fielded for Warangal East, Dr Methuku Anand for Vikarabad, Kaleru Venkatesh for Amberpet, Mynampally Hanumantha Rao for Malkajgiri, Konke Ravi Shankar for Choppadandi.
The TRS also announced its candidate for Huzurnagar to go up against Uttam Kumar Reddy, Shanampudi Saidireddy, an NRI who has been working on the ground in the constituency.
On September 6, KCR and his cabinet passed a resolution to dissolve the Assembly which came into effect after Governor ESL Narasimhan approved it. On the same day, the TRS released a list of 105 candidates, with most sitting MLAs retaining the candidacy for their seat.
Only two MLAs were not given a ticket again – the Chennur seat in Mancherial district and Andole in Sangareddy district.
In October, the party announced the names of two candidates for the Malakpet and Zaheerabad Assembly constituencies. While Chava Satish Kumar has been picked for Malakpet, K Manik Rao will contest from Zaheerabad on the TRS flag.
The state is set to go to the polls on December 7 and the counting of votes will take place on December 11.