On the penultimate day for filing nominations for the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, the city was clogged as the nominees for different parties criss-crossed the city to drum up support. Among the biggest rallies that traversed the city was that of Secunderabad Congress candidate Danam Nagender, flanked by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin and Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi. The procession started from Secunderabad Mahankali temple at 11.30 a.m. and reached Patny Junction where Mr. Nagender gave a short speech about communal harmony and the role of the Congress. As motor vehicles were stopped for the CM’s motorcade, traffic was gridlocked for hours after Mr. Nagender filed his papers at the GHMC Zonal Commissioner’s office near the court complex.
Mr. Nagender declared assets including cash, shares and jewellery worth ₹25,91,38,284 and his wife as having assets worth ₹4,93,23,793.
But there was no respite for motorists who remained stuck on the road in the blistering afternoon heat as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee for the seat G. Kishan Reddy made a whistle-stop tour of the Mettuguda area. His campaign at 1.30 p.m. again saw traffic disruption and frayed tempers of motorists who took to social media to vent their ire. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Hyderabad recorded 39.9° Celsius which is 1° above normal.
The other dramatic nomination in the city was that of Madhavi Lata Kompella of the Bharatiya Janata Party contesting from the Hyderabad seat. The owner of the Virinchi Hospital however, did not submit an affidavit of her assets and liabilities as per the Election Commission of India website. There are a total of 26 candidates in fray for the Hyderabad seat, including the incumbent All India Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi.
Accompanied by I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, the BJP nominee Ms. Kompella began her rally from a temple near Charminar and said that the lotus gift from the Goddess was in itself a victory for her. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Kompella said that her primary objective will be to ensure development of old city irrespective of caste and religion. Crowds thronged the street from Charminar to Gulzar Houz and the motorcade then sped towards Lakdi Ka Pul office of the Hyderabad Collectorate.
