Hyderabad, October 22: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, October 22, released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Telangana Assembly Elections 2023. The saffron party released the first list of 52 candidates which features prominent names such as MPs Soyam Bapu Rao from Boath, Arvind Dharmapuri from Koratla and Bandi Sanjay Kumar from Karimnagar.

The first list also features T Raja Singh, whose suspension over offensive remarks against Prophet Mohammed was revoked on Sunday. Another prominent name is BRS turncoat Rajendar Eatala, now with BJP. He will be taking on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at Gajwel besides his own constituency of Huzurabad. 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.

BJP First List For Telangana Assembly Elections 2023

With the BJP releasing first list, we take a look at some of the important candidates who will be contesting the poll on November 30.

Key Candidates of BJP and Their Constituencies

Bandi Sanjay Kumar

Former Telangana president of BJP Bandi Sanjay Kumar will be contesting from the Karimnagar seat. He is a member of Lok Sabha after he won in the 2019 general elections from the Karimnagar constituency. His election was considered something of a surprise due to the BJP's prior lack of significant strength in Telangana and Bandi became one of four Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from Telangana, a historic first for the party. Telangana Assembly Elections 2023: BJP MLA Etala Rajender to Slug It Out With CM K Chandrasekhar Rao in Gajwel Assembly Segment, to Contest From Two Seats.

Arvind Dharmapuri

Arvind Dharmapuri will contest from the Koratla constituency. Dharmapuri is a Member of Parliament after he was elected in 2019 general elections. He represents the Nizamabad seat in Telangana. He won against former TRS MP K. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister, K. Chandrashekar Rao while defeating world record 184 candidates from Nizamabad Lok Sabha Constituency.

T Raja Singh

The Saffron Party on Sunday revoked the suspension of Telangana MLA T Raja Singh and announced that it will field him from the Goshamahal constituency in the upcoming state Assembly elections. The party had suspended him after he was arrested in August 2022 on charges of making objectionable remarks against the Prophet Muhammad.

Soyam Bapu Rao

The BJP has fielded Soyam Bapu Rao from Boath. In the 2019 General elections, Soyam Bapu Rao won the Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency with a margin of 58,560 votes by defeating Godam Nagesh of TRS. He had earlier contested as a congress candidate from Boath in 2018 elections and lost to lost to Rathod Bapu Rao.

Etela Rajender

Former Telangana Minister Eatala Rajender will be taking on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao at Gajwel besides his own constituency of Huzurabad. He served as the first Finance Minister of Telangana state from 2014 to 2018 and as the Health Minister of Telangana from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, he joined the BJP and was re-elected as an MLA in the by election.

The Telangana assembly elections 2023 is set to be a fierce fight between the BRS, Congress and BJP. While the BJP is trying to make inroads into the southern state after a surprising show in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BRS is looking to maintain its lead and the Congress is looking to unseat the ruling party.

Elections are set to be held in the state on November 30 and the results will be announced on December 3.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2023 03:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).