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A total of 44 candidates will remain in the fray for the Gajwel assembly constituency, where Bharat Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is contesting in the upcoming November 30 elections, according to election commission officials.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations was Wednesday, prompting a significant number of candidates, who had initially filed as independents, to pull out of the contest. Despite the Gajwel assembly seat seeing the highest number of nominations at 145 by November 10, the figure decreased to 114 by November 13 after the scrutiny of nominations.
On Wednesday, an additional 70 candidates withdrew their nominations, leaving 44 candidates in the contest, as stated by the returning officer of the constituency.
While KCR is seeking re-election from Gajwel for the third consecutive time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded former minister Eatala Rajender, and the Congress has nominated former MLA T. Narsa Reddy.
In the Kamareddy assembly constituency, where the Chief Minister is facing Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy, 39 candidates will remain in the fray after the withdrawal of nominations.
In the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, 312 candidates are still in the running for 15 assembly seats. In Rangareddy district, 173 candidates remain in the contest after the withdrawal of several independent candidates.
Details from other constituencies regarding the number of withdrawals and remaining contestants are yet to reach the Election Commission office in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the Congress managed to convince rebel candidates in several assembly constituencies to withdraw their nominations as independents. In Suryapet, the Congress high command sent senior leaders to persuade Patel Ramesh Reddy, a strong rebel candidate, to withdraw, assuring him that he would be given a ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to a statement from the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC).
Rebel candidates Dandem Ram Reddy in Ibrahimpatnam, Ganga Ram in Jukkal, Balaraju in Banswada, Nehru Naik at Dornakal, and Janga Raghava Reddy in Warangal (West) withdrew their nominations as independents after discussions with party seniors.
