New Delhi: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Thatikonda Rajaiah broke down in tears after he was denied a party ticket for the upcoming Telangana assembly elections.
Former deputy chief minister Rajaiah is a sitting MLA from the Station Ghanpur constituency. However, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao fielded another former Deputy CM and senior leader Kadiyam Srihari from Station Ghanpur this time.
In a video posted by news agency ANI, Rajaiah can be seen kneeling and crying during a public event in Jangaon, Telangana.
Rajaiah had been representing the seat since 2009. After the formation of Telangana in 2014, he became one of two deputies to Chief Minister KCR and was given the health portfolio, reported IANS.
However, KCR dropped Rajaiah from the Cabinet in 2015 following allegations of corruption in the health department.
Since then, Rajaiah was sidelined in the party, however, in 2018 he was given a party ticket from the same constituency and he retained the seat, according to the agency.
This time, he was denied a ticket in view of allegations of sexual harassment from a village sarpanch belonging to his own party.
On Monday, BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao announced 115 candidates for the total 119 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls. The schedule for the Assembly elections, which is to be held in the next few months, is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.
According to KCR, candidates have been changed in only seven assembly constituencies. The party has retained 95 per cent of the sitting MLAs.
The BRS leader also mentioned that the party is planning to unveil its manifesto in Warangal on October 16.