Hyderabad: The Bahujan Samaj Party is turning into quite a shelter for dissidents. Almost 70 candidates have already filed their nominations from the BSP and this includes aspirants who did not get TRS, BJP, Congress or TD tickets.
Balajinagar, Hyderabad, corporator Pannala Kavya Reddy’s husband Harish Chandra Reddy was aspiring for a TRS ticket from Kukatpally but was left disappointed has filed his papers as a BSP candidate.
TRS rebel Rajarapu Prathap Goud too will be contesting as a BSP candidate. He had unsuccessfully lobbied for the Station Ghanpur ticket which was given to Mr T. Rajaiah.
Besides the BSP, but more than a dozen candidates have filed nominations from the Shiv Sena party and Nationalist Congress Party as well.
BSP is the party with the fourth highest candidates after the TRS and the BJP, which are contesting from all 119 seats and the Congress which is fighting from 93. Candidates prefer the BSP as it is a national party and is better organised.
In 2014, the BSP won two seats in erstwhile Adilabad district — Mr A. Indrakaran Reddy from Nirmal and Mr Koneru Konappa from Sirpur. Both joined the TRS, Mr Indrakaran Reddy became endowments minister.
Before that, Congress leader D.K. Aruna won on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Gadwal and later joined the Congress.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has received a total of 1,497 nominations including 870 from independents. Even though the state Assembly has 119 seats, 165 aspirants from the Congress, 156 from TRS and 142 from the BJP have filed nominations.
The Congress is contesting from 94 seats, the TD from 14. Only candidates who are issued B Forms can contest on the party symbol.
