HYDERABAD: After losing its sitting seat in the recently concluded Biennial Graduates' MLC elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have undertaken a diligent exercise to shortlist its contestant for the Nagarjunasagar bypoll.
Party sources said they will take a couple of days more to finalise a candidate. Even though the filing of nominations began on Tuesday, none of the aspiring contestants received a call from the BJP State headquarters till this report was filed.
"I haven't been informed about the candidature of probable candidates," Kankanala Sridhar Reddy, BJP Nalgonda district president who has his eye on a ticket for his wife Niveditha Reddy, said. However, he said the party has conducted surveys to identify the potential candidate among the probables and the decision would be made according to the report.
Kadari Anjaiah Yadav, one of the aspiring contestants, said the party leadership at the national level is impressed with his track record in the previous election and popularity among the people. "For me, the people are supreme," he said, answering a question on whether he is in touch with any top BJP leaders.
Apart from Sridhar Reddy and Anjaiah Yadav, Ravi Naik, a strong community leader in the region who has begun his Padayatra, and Indrasena Reddy hope to bag a ticket.
On the other hand, Congress contestant K Jana Reddy has intensified his campaign and is preparing for a public meeting on March 27. Party MLAs Bhatti Vikramarka, Dansari Anasuya, T Jayaprakash Reddy and Sridhar Babu will join the campaign after the conclusion of the Assembly Budget session.
Party sources said they will take a couple of days more to finalise a candidate. Kankanala Sridhar Reddy, BJP Nalgonda district president said the party has conducted surveys to identify the potential candidate among the probables