Congress announces second list of 45 candidates for Telangana polls, fields Azharuddin from Jubilee Hills

Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, late folk singer Gaddar's daughter G V Vennela and ex-MPs Madhu Yashki Goud, Ponnam Prabhakar and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy were among the prominent names in the second list of 45 candidates announced by the Congress on Friday for the November 30 Telangana assembly polls. Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who quit the BJP on Wednesday and re-joined Congress today, has been fielded from Munugode which he had represented earlier.

Reddy's resignation from Congress to join the BJP led to a bypoll in Munugode last year which he had lost.

Azharuddin, who had represented Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha earlier, would try his luck in posh Jubilee Hills constituency in Hyderabad.

Former MPs Madhu Yaskhi Goud and Ponnam Prabhakar would be contesting from LB Nagar here and Husnabad in Siddipet district respectively, while Gaddar's daughter Vennela would be making her electoral debut in Secunderabad Cantt-SC constituency.

Former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who had recently quit the ruling BRS and joined the Congress, would contest from Khammam.

Former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who had also resigned from BRS and joined the Congress, has been fielded from Palair.

With this, the party has so far declared 100 candidates for the Telangana assembly polls.

The state has 119 assembly constituencies.

Earlier in the day, the Congress leadership deliberated upon the names of candidates for the Telangana assembly polls at a crucial meeting of the party's Central Election Committee in Delhi.

Chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the meeting was attended by former party chief Sonia Gandhi, besides members of the committee and Telangana leaders, including PCC chief A Revanth Reddy. The Congress had also held a meeting of the CEC for Telangana on Wednesday.

The Congress is seeking to replace the BRS government in the state.

In the earlier list, the party fielded Pradesh Congress chief Anumula Revanth Reddy from Kodangal assembly seat while CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu from Madhira-SC seat.

Revanth Reddy is currently the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Malkajgiri parliamentary constituency.