Notification issued for election of BJP's Telangana state president

Hyderabad, Jun 29 (PTI) The BJP on Sunday issued the notification for the election of its Telangana state president.

As per the notification, nominations would be accepted from 2 PM to 4 PM on June 30, and the nominations can be withdrawn between 4 PM and 5 PM.

Former BJP MLA Endala Lakshminarayana, who is the state election officer, said Union Minister of State for MSME Shobha Karandlaje would be the Central Returning Officer for the elections to be held at the BJP's state headquarters here.

The notification brings to an end protracted speculation over the election of the BJP's state unit president.

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy was elected as the BJP's state unit president in July, 2023, replacing Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Kishan Reddy continued to hold the post, though he assumed responsibility as Union Minister in the third tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Speculation has been rife over the election of Kishan Reddy's successor. The names of Rajya Sabha member K Laxman, Lok Sabha members Eatala Rajender and D Arvind, and former MLC N Ramchander Rao are doing the rounds, though several other leaders are also hopeful of luck favouring them.

However, it would be the call of the central leadership. The decision would be known only on Monday afternoon, party sources said.

Rajender, a leader from the backward classes, had joined the BJP only in 2021, while Ramchander Rao is an old timer with strong ideological moorings. K Laxman is a BJP veteran who had served as the state unit president in the past.

It is speculated that the party may choose a leader belonging to backward sections in view of the emphasis of the ruling Congress on social justice. The Congress government has also conducted a caste survey in the state. PTI SJR SJR ADB