AP LS polls: Last CM of united Andhra, one YSRCP turncoat among six BJP candidates

Amaravati: The last chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh, one YSRCP turncoat and the state BJP chief are among the six candidates from the saffron party who will contest the May 13 Lok Sabha election from the state.

N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who succeeded K Rosaiah, was the last chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh. He will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Rajampet constituency.

Reddy was a longtime Congress leader who had also worked as the speaker of the united Andhra Pradesh. He joined BJP in 2023.

V Varaprasad Rao, a former IAS officer who joined the saffron party on Sunday has been announced as the BJP candidate from Tirupati (SC).

Rao was an MP from YSRCP from the same constituency between 2014 and 2019.

He also went on to become an MLA from the same party from Gudur constituency in 2019.

Within a few hours after he joined BJP, his candidature was announced by the saffron party.

D Purandeswari, the president of Andhra Pradesh BJP will contest from Rajamundry. Earlier, she won as an MP on a Congress ticket in 2004 from Bapatla and from Visakhapatnam in 2009.

During her Congress days, she had worked as a Minister of State. In 2014, she quit the Congress party to join the BJP.

B Srinivas Varma will contest from the Narasapuram constituency while Kothapalli Geetha will fight from the Araku constituency (ST).

In 2014, Geetha had won from the same constituency on a YSRCP ticket, however, later she switched over to BJP.

C M Ramesh, a Rajya Sabha MP from the BJP will contest from the Anakapalli constituency.

Recently, NDA constituents in the southern state had finalised their seat-sharing formula for the Parliamentary and Assembly polls, as per which the BJP will contest six Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats and TDP 144 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats.

Under the deal, actor-politician Pawan Kalyan's Janasena will contest two Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats.

The Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha polls for 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13 and the results will be declared on June 4.

Inputs from PTI