Telangana Assembly polls: filing of nominations begin, parties yet to finalise candidates, forge alliances

While the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has announced the names of 117 candidates, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have so far announced only 100 and 88 nominees, respectively.

The BRS was the first to announce its list of 115 candidates as early as August 21. The Congress, which has emerged as the main challenger to the ruling dispensation, announced its first list of 55 names on October 15 and followed it with another list of 45 candidates on October 27.

The BJP, on the other hand, announced 52 candidates on October 22 and released another list with just one nominee on October 27, and a third list with 35 names on November 2.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which considers the old city of Hyderabad its pocket borough and has been repeatedly winning seven seats for decades, has not announced its list till Friday afternoon.

Remaining seats

By announcing the final list as early as two months ago, the BRS chose to retain a majority of their sitting MLAs and was able to manage possible rebellion from dissidents. It is yet to finalise the candidature for the Goshamahal segment, held by BJP leader T Raja Singh for the last two terms, and Nampally, which remains an AIMIM bastion.

The Congress is yet to announce candidates for 19 seats including Kamareddy from where Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is contesting in addition to his home seat Gajwel. Other constituencies include Chennur, Banswada, Nizamabad urban, Jukkal, Karimnagar, Sircilla, Patancheru, Narayankhed, Charminar, Miryalaguda, Suryapet, Thungathurthi, Dornakal, Yellandu, Kothagudem, Aswaraopet, Wyra, Sathupalle.

The Congress party has been talking with the CPI and CPI(M) to forge an alliance and the talks have not reached any conclusion. On Thursday, the CPI(M) released a list of 17 constituencies they would like to contest but refrained from naming its candidates.

While factors such as multiple contenders from the same seat, the possibility of dissidents, and talks of alliances have delayed the final list of candidates, TPCC vice-president Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said the party is going to release the names of candidates very soon.

“The party is trying to pacify certain aspirants and trying to find balance between them. The alliance talks with the Left parties are still on. We are negotiating and if we cannot accommodate their demands for seats, we are trying to promise them something else and get their support,” he said.

In a last-minute surprise on November 3, the YSR Telangana party, which was set to contest on its own, has decided not to contest and instead support Congress.

The BJP is yet to finalise its candidates for constituencies such as Chennur, Yellareddy, Peddapalle, Vemulawada, Sangareddy, Husnabad, Siddipet, Serilingampally, Vikarabad, Tandur, Kodangal, Medchal, Malkajgiri, Kukatpally, Nampally, Secunderabad Cantt, Devarkadra, Nagarkurnool, Gadwal, Alampur, Nakrekal, Munugode, Miryalaguda, Kodad, Narsampet, Kothagudem, Aswaraopet, Khammam, Madhira, Wyra, and Mulugu.

Explaining delays

There has been no clarity if the BJP will go it alone or join hands with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party.

While admitting a delay in finalising candidates due to ongoing talks with the Jana Sena Party, BJP spokesperson K Krishna Sagar Rao pointed to a larger issue of the degrading political atmosphere in Telangana where political parties including the AIMIM have not released the list of their final candidates.

“This is a situation unique to Telangana where parties are unable to zero in on their candidates. Anyone can migrate to another party in a whiff. Even if you go ahead and announce names, you are worried if they will still file their nomination or join the other party after taking B-form,” said Rao.

The BJP leader added that the kind of uncertainty is because of derogatory misuse of power and money, where politicians have become commodities that can be purchased in the open market.

Quite a few politicians, including sitting MLAs, past party presidents and tall leaders of all parties, have shifted loyalties in Telangana after they were denied a ticket to contest. In many seats where there are multiple contenders, parties have adopted a wait-and-watch approach till the last minute.

For instance, Charminar is one seat where the sitting AIMIM MLA is likely to be replaced as he has completed six terms and the Congress has not named a candidate here yet. A charged-up Congress under its state president Anumula Revanth Reddy is also a strong critic of AIMIM and is seen as eying for Muslim votes. The AIMIM is likely to replace their Yakutpura MLA, too, who has won four successive terms.

According to a senior AIMIM functionary, the party sees no threat from Congress or internal rifts and it was only a matter of time to announce its candidates.

“Neither Congress, BJP or BRS have a strong base in the old city. Barring 2018, the AIMIM has a practice of naming candidates only days ahead of the last day of nomination. The candidates have been informed and they are on the ground campaigning. They have been amidst the people and available round the clock throughout the year,” he said, adding that AIMIM may contest a few more seats other than the seven incumbent seats.

The party is likely to announce the list of its candidates on Friday.