As Telangana gears up for the 2023 Assembly elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) released its first list of 20 candidates here on Tuesday, October 3.

According to the list, state party president R S Praveen Kumar will contest from the Sirpur constituency. Repalle Shiva Praveen Kumar is a former officer of Indian Police Service who served as the secretary of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society and Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society.

Meanwhile, the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party, led by K Chandrashekar Rao, had already announced 115 candidates for the 119 constituencies in August. The candidates for the remaining constituencies, including Goshamahal, Nampally, Jangaon, and Narsapur, are yet to be disclosed, adding to the anticipation surrounding the upcoming Telangana elections.

Chief minister KCR will be contesting from two constituencies – Gajwel and Kamareddy.

Among the 115 candidates, the BRS has fielded three Muslims. Ibrahim Lodi, Ali Baqri and Mohammed Shakeel Aamir will contest from Charminar, Bhadurpura and Bodhan respectively.

Declaring that it was time for the “rule of Bahujans”, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Tuesday, 3 October, announced its first list of 20 candidates for the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections

The seats include nine in the general category, eight reserved for Schedule Caste (SC) candidates, and three for Schedule Tribe (ST) candidates.

BSP central coordinator Ramji Gautam, who also serves as a Member of Parliament, stated during the list announcement at the party’s Hyderabad headquarters that if the people in Telangana wanted to address the ongoing problem of question paper leaks, it was crucial for them to vote for BSP members, as they were the ones who comprehended the sentiments of the public.

Full list of BSP’s candidates for Telangana elections:

• Jangam Gopi from Zahirabad constituency
• Dasari Usha from Peddapalli constituency
• Chandrasekhar Mudiraj from Tandur constituency
• M Venkateshwar Rao from Palair constituency
• Komkati Shekhar from Choppadandi constituency
• M Venkatesh Chowhan from Devarakonda constituency
• M Priyadarshini from Nakrekal constituency
• B Rambabu Naik from Wyra constituency
• N Vijay Kumar from Dharmapuri constituency
• N C Ramulu Mudhiraj from Wanaparthy constituency
• N Ramchander from Manakondur constituency
• P Srinivas from Kodad constituency
• Kothapalli Kumar from Nagarkurnool constituency
• Bansilal Rathod from Khanapur constituency
• M Prakasham from Andole constituency
• Vatte Janaiah Yadav from Suryapet constituency
• G Kranthi Kumar from Vikarabad constituency
• Erra Kamesh from Kothagudem constituency
• P K Madhava Rao Ekambkar from Jukkal constituency.