The BRS Party has announced a total of nine candidates so far for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. Yesterday, the party announced four candidates, taking the total tally to nine. Out of 17 Lok Sabha seats, the BRS is expected to contest in 15 seats and its alliance partner BSP will reportedly contest in two seats.
In the backdrop of some of the BRS MPs switching sides before the polls, the BRS Chief KCR made a right mix of candidates balancing seniority, experience, loyalty, young blood, and social equations. As the Lok Sabha polls are the first major elections after the party’s loss in the Assembly elections, KCR made a careful choice of nominees. The nine-member list includes three candidates from the Other Castes (OCs), three from the Backwards Classes (BCs), two from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), and one from the Schedule Tribes (ST).
In Karimnagar, KCR preferred former MP and senior party member Vinod Kumar where he will be taking on sitting MP Bandi Sanjay. In Khammam, Mahabubnagar, and Mahabubabad, KCR has renominated the sitting MPs. While the BRS Lok Sabha floor leader Nama Nageshwar Rao will be the candidate in Khammam, Manne Srinivas Reddy and Maloth Kavitha will be the party nominees in Mahabubnagar and Mahabubabad, respectively.
In Peddapalli, former minister and party loyalist Koppula Eshwar is chosen as the candidate. KCR is banking on Eshwar’s popularity and non-controversial nature to romp home in this election. As promised before the Assembly elections, KCR gave a fair representation to the Mudiraj community by selecting senior leader Kasani Gnaneshwar Mudiraj as the candidate for the Chevella seat. This Lok Sabha segment has a significant Mudiraj population, added to it Gnaneshwar’s political experience and the BRS Party’s strength in the GHMC limits would improve the party’s prospects further.
In Warangal, KCR fielded a young and educated face who is also active on ground. Dr Kadiyam Kavya, daughter of former deputy CM and MLA Kadiyam Srihari, is given a chance to contest from Warangal. The young leader’s connection with the electorate and her father’s support base in the segment will be her added advantages.
Coming to Nizamabad, a popular leader and a familiar face Bajireddy Govardhan will be testing his luck this time as the MP contestant. The senior politician will be fighting sitting MP Dharmapuri Aravind who won by making tall promises in the last elections.
Gali Anil Kumar will be in fray from the BRS Party in Zaheerabad Lok Sabha segment. Anil Kumar, a resourceful senior leader, joined the BRS from the Congress party before the Assembly elections. Keeping up his promise, KCR gave him his due political representation by selecting him as the candidate.
As the BRS will be facing a tough battle to regain its lost ground, the party supremo KCR is leaving no stone unturned in fighting the two national parties, who have allegedly entered into a tacit understanding to defeat the BRS. Despite his ill health due to hip replacement surgery, KCR is making all possible efforts to ensure the party’s voice in the Parliament.