Hyderabad: The poll pot continues to simmer in Telangana even after the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections as the bye-election to the graduates MLC constituency of Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda is scheduled on Monday. Campaign for the bypoll ended on Saturday and the counting of votes will be on June 5.
The resignation of BRS MLC Palla Rajeswar Reddy following his election as Jangaon MLA last year necessitated the bypoll. There are 52 candidates in the fray for the by-election.
Congress has fielded Chinthakayala Naveen, a YouTuber popular as 'Teen Maar Mallanna'. He contested as an independent in the 2021 polls for the same Graduates constituency.
BRS has nominated former BJP leader A Rakesh Reddy. He defected to the BRS during last year's Assembly polls after the saffron party denied him a ticket. Reddy is US-educated.
The BJP has fielded its state secretary G Premender Reddy and is confident as the party put up a strong fight in the Lok Sabha polls and also won eight Assembly seats last year.
The KCR-led BRS is aiming for revival after the rout in Assembly polls, and its working president, K T Rama Rao, has extensively campaigned for the party's candidate. He tried to drive home the narrative 'Bits Pilani or Palli Batani'. He urged the graduate voters to compare the credentials of the BRS candidate who studied in Bits Pilani, later worked in the US, and then returned to India to "serve Telangana", and the Congress candidate Teenamaar Mallana, who faces numerous criminal cases.
The bye-election has attracted attention as several ministers and MLAs of the Congress who had defected from the BRS belong to the graduate constituency, which comprises three districts. There are around 34 Assembly segments that come under this MLC constituency.
Around 4.63 lakh voters are eligible to vote in the bypoll.
Published 25 May 2024, 16:28 IST