Telangana CM files nomination for Gajwel assembly seat

Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday filed his nomination in the Gajwel constituency in Siddipet district for next month's Assembly elections.

At 2.34 p.m., the 'mahuratam' fixed by his astrologers, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief submitted his nomination papers to the returning officer at the revenue office in Siddipet to seek re-election.

Before filing his nomination, Rao offered prayers at Lord Venkateshwara temple at Konaipally village, a practice he has been following for over three decades.

KCR, as the TRS leader is popularly known, has not lost any elections since 1985. He tasted defeat only in 1983, which was his first election.

Accompanied by Irrigation Minister and his nephew T. Harish Rao and other TRS leaders, KCR offered prayers at the temple and placed his nomination papers at the feet of the deity.

The 64-year-old, a strong believer in astrology, numerology and vastu, has been elected to the Assembly seven times and to the Lok Sabha twice.

Harish Rao, too, filed his nomination from Siddipet constituency after participating in the rituals with KCR.

Addressing the villagers after his visit to the temple, KCR appealed to people to give a fresh mandate to TRS so that Telangana marches ahead on the path of development. He claimed that the newly-created state has achieved tremendous progress in a short span of time.

He urged the voters to re-elect Harish Rao with a majority of over one lakh votes.

KCR, who began his political career with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), quit the party in 2001 to float TRS to revive the movement for a separate Telangana state. He became the first Chief Minister of Telangana following TRS' victory in 2014 elections.

He dissolved the Assembly in September, nine months before its term was to end, and decided to go in for early polls, blaming the 'baseless' allegations by the opposition parties for his move.

The elections to the 119-member Assembly are scheduled on December 7.

--IANS

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