As expected, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has fielded former IPS officer R.S. Praveen Kumar from Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha Constituency after he joined the party. He joined BRS after quitting Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), of which he was the State president, over the alleged pressure tactics from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership on BSP to end the Lok Sabha poll alliance with BRS.
The party leadership has named former IAS officer and MLC P. Venkatarami Reddy as its candidate for Medak Parliamentary Constituency on Friday. With this, the BRS has named 13 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections so far.
BRS candidates named so far
Initially, the party has named its candidates for Khammam (Nama Nageswara Rao), Mahabubabad (Maloth Kavitha), Peddapalli (Koppula Eshwar) and Karimnagar (Boinapally Vinod Kumar) followed by Manne Srinivas Reddy for Mahabubnagar seat. Mr. Nageswara Rao, Ms. Kavitha and Mr. Srinivas Reddy are sitting MPs of the party.
Later, the party picked up Bajireddy Goverdhan for Nizamabad, Dr. Kadiyam Kavya for Warangal, Kasani Gnaneshwar for Chevella and Gali Anil Kumar for Zaheerabad Lok Sabha seats followed by Ragidi Laxma Reddy for Malkajigiri and Athram Sakku for Adilabad Lok Sabha seats.
BRS leaders who switched parties
Sitting MP of the party from Peddapalli, B. Venkatesh Netha, was the first to switch loyalties from BRS. However, Congress leadership has denied the ticket to him preferring Gaddam Vamshi Krishna, son of Chennur MLA and former MP G. Vivekanand.
Similarly, the BRS sitting MPs from Zaheerabad (B.B. Patil), Nagarkurnool (P. Ramulu) and Chevella (G. Ranjith Reddy) have also deserted BRS. While the first two have joined BJP, Mr. Ranjith Reddy joined the Congress. Mr. Patil has been retained as the candidate by BJP and it has picked up Mr. Ramulu’s son for Nagarkurnool. The Congress has fielded Mr. Ranjith Reddy from the same seat (Chevella).
Another BRS leader and Rangareddy Zilla Parishad Chairperson P. Sunitha Mahender Reddy also joined the Congress. Ms. Sunitha Reddy was named as the Congress candidate for Malkajigiri seat, represented by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy till recently.
A few of the former BRS MPs have also been picked as its candidates by BJP for Mahabubabad (A. Seetaram Naik), Adilabad (G. Nagesh) and a former MLA of BRS S. Saidi Reddy has been fielded from Nalgonda Lok Sabha seat by BJP. Now, the BRS has to name only four more candidates – for Hyderabad, Nalgonda, Bhongir and Secunderabad seats.
