Ruling Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi MP K Prabhakar Reddy was stabbed during a poll campaigning in Telangana's Siddipet district, said the police on Monday. Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, 57, is a sitting Member of Parliament from Telangana's Medak constituency and was campaigning in Siddipet when an unknown assailant stabbed him in the stomach.
Siddipet Commissioner N Swetha told ANI that the incident took place in Surampally village of the Daulatabad mandal, adding that the BRS MP is safe and has been shifted to Gajwel.
The accused assailant has been taken into custody and a probe has been launched into the matter, Swetha said.
Prabhakar, a party candidate for the upcoming November 30 Telangana Legislative Assembly polls from Dubbak assembly segment, was shifted to a nearby hospital after the attack, said the police, adding that his condition is said to be stable.
TV footage of the incident showed Reddy pressing the stab wound on his stomach in order to stop the bleeding while sitting in a vehicle.
The man who allegedly stabbed the MP was "beaten up" by some locals and was later taken into custody by the police who were verifying his details, according to a PTI report.
In order to curb any poll-related violence, the Election Commission on Monday said it will deploy additional security personnel at around 500 polling station in areas that are affected by Left Wing Extremism in the state.
About 511 polling stations have been identified as LWE affected in eight districts of Telangana bordering Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, said the officials.