The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reinstated Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh in the lead-up to the Telangana elections, just as the party prepares to announce its list of candidates. The decision to revoke Singh's suspension was conveyed to him in a letter from Om Pathak, the member secretary of the BJP's Central Disciplinary Committee.
Raja Singh, a controversial figure known for his Islamophobic statements, had been suspended after his arrest in August of the previous year for making comments deemed 'blasphemous' against Prophet Muhammad. These remarks were made in response to police allowing comedian Munawar Farooqui to perform a show in the city in August 2022. Following this incident, Raja Singh was arrested under the Prevention of Disfigurement Act (PD Act) and faced legal action under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including promoting enmity between different groups and injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion.
In response to his reinstatement, Raja Singh expressed his gratitude to the top leadership of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Chief J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and state leadership. He thanked the OBC Morcha National President, the former state president, and other BJP members and supporters.
State to vote on November 30, results to be declared on December 3
The Election Commission has announced that the Telangana legislative assembly, comprising 119 members, will conduct elections on November 30, 2023. Telangana has a substantial voter base of over 3 crore, with an additional 17 lakh voters recently added to the voting list. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar shared that the Telangana elections will occur in a single phase.
Also read | Who will win in Greater Hyderabad, Upper and Lower regions in Telangana? Know here
