The Congress on Saturday released its third list of candidates for the December 7 assembly elections in Telangana. In the latest list, the Congress has named 13 candidates, fielding former Pradesh Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah from Jangaon constituency.
The nominations for the polls will close on Monday.
The Congress is yet to announce candidates for another six seats in the 119-member Assembly. The party has decided to contest elections from 94 seats as it left the remaining 25 seats for the partners of the Maha Kootami (grand alliance) comprising Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and Communist Party of India.
On Wednesday, the Congress had released its second list of 10 candidates for the Telangana Assembly polls. In the second list, the party re-nominated seven candidates who had lost in 2014.
According to the second list, Congress spokesman Dasoju Sravan Kumar will contest from Khairatabad constituency in Hyderabad. Former MP Ramesh Rathod, who quit the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) after being denied a ticket, joined the Congress in September and has secured the Khanapur constituency ticket from Adilabad district.
Gandra Venkat Ramna Reddy was given Bhupalapalle ticket, while P. Vishnuvardhan Reddy will contest from Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. Both were defeated in the 2014 elections.
Kandala Upender Reddy, a prominent contractor, who had been eyeing the ticket since 2009, has been fielded from Palair constituency.
Senior leader and former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, a stronger contender for the ticket from Jangaon, is missing from the second list too. He had earlier expressed surprise over his name not figuring in the first list announced late on Monday.
Lakshmaiah has represented Jangaon assembly constituency for four terms but this time around Congress ally TJS is keen to contest from here.
The Telangana Assembly was dissolved on September 6 on the recommendation of the state government, almost nine months ahead of the expiry of its term.
(With agency inputs)