CM KCR announces three BRS MLC candidates

BRC president and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao selects Deshapathi Srinivas, K Naveen Kumar and Venkatram Reddy as candidates in ensuing MLC elections in Telangana

Hyderabad: BRS President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced the names of Deshapathi Srinivas, K Naveen Kumar and Challa Venkatrami Reddy as MLC candidates under the MLA quota for the State Legislative Council. They have been instructed to file nominations on Thursday.

Accordingly, Chandrashekhar Rao directed Legislative Affairs Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy and BRS general secretary Palla Rajeshwar Reddy to take care of arrangements in this regard. Meanwhile, the names of the two MLC candidates under the Governor quota will be announced after the Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held at Pragathi Bhavan on Thursday.

The term of BRS MLCs Alimineti Krishna Reddy, V Gangadhar Goud and Kurmaiahgari Naveen Kumar will expire on March 29. Accordingly, the Election Commission of India issued notification for the respective positions on March 6. While the last day for filing nominations is March 13, scrutiny of nominations will be on March 14 and the deadline for withdrawal of nominations is March 16. The polling will be held on March 23, if necessary and counting will be held on the same day.

Considering the BRS party’s strength in the Assembly, the party candidates are expected to win all three MLC seats unanimously.

The Chief Minister had retained sitting MLC K Naveen Kumar and gave him another opportunity. He has been with the Chief Minister for a long time and played a vital role in the Telangana Statehood movement. Among the two new candidates who got an opportunity to become MLCs, Deshapathi Srinivas is a poet and currently serving as Officer on Special Duty in the Chief Minister’s Office. He was a teacher by profession and has been associated with the Telangana movement as well as Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao for a long time.

“I consider this as an honour bestowed on me by the Chief Minister for my role in the Telangana Statehood movement and also the BRS. I will strive to do justice to my new responsibility,” Srinivas said.

Another new candidate Challa Venkatrami Reddy is a former MLA from Alampur in Jogulamba Gadwal district. He is also the grandson of former President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy and hails from a well-known political family in erstwhile Mahabubnagar district. He is one of the first noted leaders to join the BRS after the party changed its name from TRS and evolved into a national party.