Hyderabad: BJP released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly Elections in Telangana on Sunday (October 22).
Three Lok Sabha MPs, including its former Telangana president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, figured in the BJP's first list. A total of 52 candidates have been named in the list so far, out of which the party has fielded 12 women candiates.
Its election committee head Etela Rajender has been fielded from Huzurabad, a seat the former BRS leader represents in the outgoing assembly.
Kumar has been fielded from Karimnagar and two other MPs, Soyam Bapu Rao and Dharmapuri Arvind, from Boath and Koratla. The BJP has four Lok Sabha MPs from the state.
Union minister and its state president G Kishan Reddy is another MP whose name is not in the first list.
BJP reinstates T Raja ahead of list publication
BJP on Sunday reinstated Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh in the lead-up to the Telangana elections.
Raja Singh, a controversial figure, was 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.
T Raja reacts
Reacting to the party giving him ticket from Goshamahal in the Assembly polls, Raja Singh said that he will win and "give a reply to the anti-nationals".
"Goshamahal Assembly constituency comes under Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency. The MP is Asaduddin Owaisi who is anti-national. I am the MLA from here and I defeated one of his men to become one. Asaduddin Owaisi used to sell Muslim votes to Congress. He now sells votes to BRS. He is a businessman. In the time to come, I will keep winning from here and give a reply to the anti-nationals," he said.
(With inputs from ANI)
