With the Assembly elections round the corner, dynastic politics seems to be ruling the roost in Telangana as all three main political parties – the BJP, the Congress, and the BRS – are trying to woo powerful political families to leverage whatever influence they wield in their bastions.

Consequently, local satraps are vying with each other for party tickets for not only themselves but also for their family members.

Former Maharashtra governor and BJP leader Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao’s son Vikas Rao joined the BJP on Wednesday and is likely to contest from Vemulawada Assembly constituency making a despite all the talk against “parivarwad” by the Saffron party.

The current BRS MLA, Chennamaneni Ramesh Rao, who is his cousin was not renominated by the ruling party because of an ongoing legal tussle over his citizenship. Instead, the BRS nominated another Velama (caste) leader.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao placated the disgruntled MLA by appointing him as advisor for agriculture with Cabinet rank for five years. In a bid to deny any advantage to the BJP in Vemulawada, he also decided to name Package 9 of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project which provides water for drinking and farming to Sircilla and Vemulawada constituencies after Ramesh’s father, late Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao, a six-time MLA and a communist leader who later joined TDP.

Similarly, ahead of elections, a newly-constructed steel flyover in Hyderabad was named after former labour leader late Nayini Narsimha Reddy who had been the first home minister in KCR’s Cabinet before being dropped in the second term.

The Congress, which is known to giving tickets to several members of the same family, has already started witnessing ugly fights as leaders are demanding tickets for spouses, sons, and daughters. Former PCC president and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Reddy not only wants a ticket from Huzurnagar but also for his wife from neighbouring Kobad after failing to retain both last times.

Uttam Reddy even got into a spat with current PCC A Revanth Reddy over the issue of nominating more than one family member in the upcoming polls during poll discussion within the party and stormed out of the meeting.

Similarly, former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav and his two sons are eyeing constituencies in the Hyderabad-Secunderabad twin cities. Former Union minister Balram Naik also wants a ticket for his son along with himself.

The Telangana Congress is also known for nominating parachute candidates with little connection with the constituencies who often disappear from the scene after getting defeated leaving the cadre demoralised.