Eighteen candidates have filed their nominations for the by-election to the Medak parliamentary constituency, scheduled Sep 13.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi's Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Jagga Reddy and Sunita Lakshma Reddy of the Congress are the three main contenders among the 13 candidates to file their papers Wednesday, the last day of filing nominations.
Jagga Reddy was the surprise choice of the BJP as his candidature was announced Wednesday morning soon after he quit the Congress and joined the BJP.
A former legislator of the Congress, Jagga Reddy had only recently been appointed president of Medak district Congress.
BJP's Telangana president G. Kishan Reddy announced the party's candidate in the presence of Jagga Reddy at a press conference held at the party office.
Leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an ally of BJP, accompanied Jagga Reddy when he filed the nomination.
The Congress named former minister Sunita Lakshma Reddy.
The by-election is being held following the resignation of TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Rao was elected both from Medak Lok Sabha and Gajwel assembly constituencies in the elections held in April.
