Hyderabad, October 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday decided to field AP Mithun Kumar Reddy from Mahabubnagar constituency for the next month’s assembly elections. Mithun Kumar is son of BJP leader and former MP A.P Jithender Reddy. The Central Election Committee of the party released the second list for Telangana with just one candidate.

The BJP announced candidates for 52 out of 119 Assembly seats on October 22. Jithender Reddy had quit TRS (now BRS) to join BJP in 2019 after he was denied ticket to contest Lok Sabha election. Telangana Assembly Election 2023: T Raja Singh To Contest From Goshamahal As BJP Releases First List of 52 Candidates for Upcoming Vidhan Sabha Polls; Check Names of Other Candidates and Their Constituencies.

It was a homecoming for Jithender Reddy, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Mahabubnagar on the BJP ticket in 1999. He later quit the BJP to join the TRS at the peak of Telangana movement. The BRS has already announced candidature of excise minister V. Srinivas Goud from Mahabubnagar assembly seat. He was elected from here in 2014 and retained the seat in 2018.

Meanwhile, the release of the third list is likely to be delayed by 3-4 days as the state leadership of the party is holding talks with Jana Sena Party (JSP) for seat sharing. Telangana Assembly Election 2023: Rahul Gandhi Is Paper Tiger, Not Babbar Sher, Says BRS MLC Kavitha (Watch Video).

JSP leader and actor Pawan Kalyan had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on October 25. State BJP president G. Kishan Reddy was also present. The central leader asked them to discuss the seat sharing and come out with their suggestions. JSP, a constituent of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has already stated that it wants to contest 32 seats in Telangana, mostly in undivided Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar, Khammam, Medak and Nalgonda districts.

Kishan Reddy along with party MP K. Laxman had called on Pawan Kalyan in Hyderabad on October 18 requesting him to campaign for the party candidates. The JSP leader, however, informed them that his party plans to contest at least 30 seats. Pawan Kalyan told them that he would hold talks with the BJP’s central leaders.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2023 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).