Vijayashanthi and Two Other Congress Candidates Submit Nominations for Telangana MLC Elections
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Actor-politician Vijayashanthi, alongside Addanki Dayakar and Kethavath Shankar Naik, filed their nominations for the Telangana Legislative Council elections. The nominations were endorsed by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the elections are set for March 20. The Congress party continues to strengthen its position in the region.
Key Takeaways
- Vijayashanthi leads the Congress nominations.
- MLA elections scheduled for March 20.
- Congress holds 65 seats in the Assembly.
- Strategic alliances with CPI and AIMIM.
- Vijayashanthi's political journey highlights shifting allegiances.
Hyderabad, March 10 (NationPress) Actor and politician Vijayashanthi, alongside Addanki Dayakar and Kethavath Shankar Naik, submitted their nominations as Congress candidates for the upcoming biennial elections to the Telangana Legislative Council on Monday.
Prominent figures such as Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Congress state President Mahesh Kumar Goud, along with various ministers, MLAs, and other leaders were in attendance.
On Sunday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge sanctioned the candidacies of these three leaders. The party has also resolved to allocate one seat to its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI).
In another development, Nellikanti Satyam has filed his nomination as the CPI candidate.
Members of the State Legislative Assembly will elect five representatives to the Legislative Council on March 20.
These vacancies are due to the retirement of four MLCs from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), including Mallesham Yegge, who switched allegiance to Congress from BRS last year, and Mirza Riyazul Hassan Effendi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
The Congress holds 65 seats in the 119-member Assembly and has the backing of 10 BRS MLAs who defected last year. Its ally CPI has one MLA, while the friendly party AIMIM comprises seven members.
The BRS, with 28 members, has nominated Dasoju Sravan Kumar as its candidate.
Previously, Addanki Dayakar, along with his spouse, met the Chief Minister at his residence to express gratitude. Dayakar serves as the state unit General Secretary and belongs to the Scheduled Castes.
Kethavath Shankar Naik, who is the District Congress Committee president from Nalgonda, comes from the Scheduled Tribes. Both Dayakar and Naik sought Congress tickets for the 2023 Assembly elections, but the party leadership assured them of alternative positions.
The Congress has acknowledged Vijayashanthi, who left her role as a BJP national executive member to join Congress shortly before the 2023 Assembly polls.
The former MP, hailing from the Backward Class, was promised a suitable role upon her entry into Congress.
Known as ‘Lady Amitabh’ for her action roles in Telugu cinema, Vijayashanthi joined the BJP in 1997.
She parted ways with the BJP in 2005 to establish a separate entity, Talli Telangana, aiming for the region's statehood. She later merged Talli Telangana with the TRS (now BRS) and won a Lok Sabha seat from Medak in 2009.
In 2013, Vijayashanthi joined the Congress after being suspended from the TRS for anti-party activities. She unsuccessfully contested the Medak Assembly constituency in the 2014 elections.
Following Congress' defeat in 2018, she remained inactive and rejoined the BJP in 2020.
