No Changes to BRS's List, CM Tells Candidates to Step Up Campaigning

HYDERABAD: There would be no changes to the list of BRS candidates for 115 Assembly seats announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, party sources indicated on Thursday, adding that the top leadership has directed the candidates to step up campaigning.

While Rao’s announcement of 115 candidates on August 21 took political circles by surprise, it was speculated that the party would change at least 20-25 candidates based on survey reports, after poll notification was issued in October.

Candidates were also apprehensive that Rao’s decision to retain all but seven incumbents was a ploy to prevent their defection to other parties. This also hampered campaigning.

Besides, for a while there was the prospect of joint elections and delayed polls which forced the leadership to ask the candidates to go slow on the campaign trail. With talk of joint elections ebbing, the party is keen that the candidates resume campaigning

Sources said that the Chief Minister has decided to end all speculation by clearing the air with nominees. Further, candidates for the remaining four Assembly constituencies will be announced in a week or two, they said.

The Chief Minister has decided to stick to the list as doing otherwise could be perceived as an acknowledgement of anti-incumbency against the BRS government, they said.

Along with this, the issue of Malkajgiri MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao attacking minister T. Harish Rao and the party for not giving his son, Mynampally Rohith, the Medak ticket, seems to have died down.

On August 26, Hanumanth Rao had also threatened to quit the party and join the Congress or the BJP. The BRS has not taken any action to penalise or dismiss him, while the MLA has also gone quiet on the issue.