Telangana BJP Leaders Lobby for MLC Graduates' Constituency Nominations

The Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has initiated candidate selection discussions for the upcoming MLC elections to the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam Graduates' constituencies, sparking intense lobbying among party leaders.

The party aims to build on its momentum from last year's MLC elections, where Ch. Anji Reddy won the Karimnagar-Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad Graduates' seat and M. Komaraiah secured the Medak-Karimnagar-Adilabad-Nizamabad Teachers' constituency against candidates from the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

The race for the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad Graduates' constituency is witnessing strong competition. The seat is currently represented by BRS MLC S. Vani Devi, the daughter of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who won the election in 2021.

Key contenders seeking the BJP nomination for the constituency include the party's chief spokesperson N.V. Subash, who is the nephew of Ms. Vani Devi and grandson of P.V. Narasimha Rao. Mr. Subash holds a post-graduate engineering degree from the United States and has highlighted his organisational background. Former State BJP vice-president and advocate S. Malla Reddy is also staking claim to the nomination based on his long-standing association with the party.

The Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad constituency was previously won by current State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao in 2015 before he lost to Ms. Vani Devi in the subsequent election. There is also political speculation that Mr. Rao himself could be considered for the seat.

For the Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam Graduates' constituency, ticket aspirants include senior party leaders S. Prakash Reddy, G. Manohar Reddy, G. Premender Reddy, and Kasam Venkateshwarlu.

A panel comprising State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy, and Rajya Sabha member K. Laxman is scheduled to shortlist candidates before submitting recommendations to the BJP Central leadership for final approval.

Internal discussions continue over whether nominations should be granted to long-serving loyalists or recent entrants, as well as whether to select local leaders or candidates with broader appeal across the constituencies. Regarding the final candidate selection, Mr. Rao stated that the party will allocate the ticket to the winning candidate.