HYDERABAD: In view of the fast-approaching Assembly elections, the BJP State unit is planning to put together a tentative list of candidates who are the obvious choices. The BJP senior leaders, sitting MPs and MLAs as well as former MPs and MLAs are likely to figure in the list. The first list might be out in the first or second week of September.
According to party sources, the party leaders are making a list with 35 to 40 potential candidates. The list would be vetted at a meeting of the State Election Committee, which has a chairman but no members. The sources said by the end of the month, the committee will have a full complement of members. If the State Election Committee is not constituted, then the party’s State Core Committee will finalise the names and send them to the Central Election Committee for taking a final call.
The State BJP leadership is likely to release its list of candidates at the same time when the BRS and Congress release their respective first lists of candidates. Sources said that Union Minister G Kishan Reddy is likely to contest from Amberpet, former MLAs Chintala Ramachandra Reddy from Khairatabad, NVSS Prabhakar from Uppal and party national vice-president DK Aruna from Gadwal.
Bandi likely to contest from Karimnagar
Sitting MPs Bandi Sanjay is likely to contest from Karimnagar, Dharmapuri Arvind from Armoor or Korutla, and Soyam Bapu Rao from Boath. The sitting MLAs Eatala Rajender will contest from Huzurabad and M Raghunandan Rao from Dubbaka. The party is likely to drop T Raja Singh and nominate someone else from Goshamahal.
The other leaders are: Former MLAs Yendala Laxminarayana from Nizamabad, Ramesh Rathod from Khanapur, Somarapu Satyanarayana from Ramagundam, Bubumohan from Andole, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy from Munugode, Sanikineni Venkateswar Rao from Suryapet, Kondeti Sridhar from Wardhanpet, B Shobha from Choppadandi, Enugu Ravinder Reddy from Yellareddy. former MP G Vivek from Dharmapuri or Chennur, former MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy from Khammam, former MP A Jithender Reddy from Mahbubnagar or Shadnagar, former minister Marri Shashidhar Reddy from Sanathnagar, former MLA Gujjula Ramakrishna Reddy from Peddapalli, former MLA Yennem Srinivas Reddy from Mahbubnagar, former MLA Nandiswar Goud from Patancheru and former MLC Ramchander Rao from Malkajgiri.
Film actor Jayasudha, who recently joined the BJP, is likely to contest from Secunderabad or Musheerabad while Dharma Rao may contest from Warangal East and former MP Boora Narsaiah from Bhuvanagiri or Ibrahimpatnam.
Other leaders who are likely to be included in the list are Vikram Goud (Goshamahal), Banda Karthika Reddy (Secunderabad), Ch Keethi Reddy (Bhupalapally), Rakesh Reddy (Warangal West), Doodi Srikanth Reddy (Siddipet), Ravikumar Yadav (Serilingampalli), Prathap Ramkrishna (Vemulawada), Bomma Sriram (Husnabad), Gaddam Nagaraju (Manakonduru), Andhe Sriramulu (Maheswaram) and Achari (Kalwakurthi).