Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrashekhar Rao, his 14 cabinet colleagues including a son and a nephew and state presidents of the Congress and the BJP are among 1,821 candidates in the fray for Friday's Assembly elections.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, state Congress working President A. Revanth Reddy and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder N.T. Rama Rao's granddaughter N. Suhasini are among the other key candidates whose political fortunes will be decided in the polling on Friday.
KCR, as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief is popularly known, is seeking re-election from Gajwel constituency in Siddipet district. The 64-year-old, who never lost an Assembly or Lok Sabha elections since making his debut in 1985, is confident of yet another victory.
KCR's son K.T. Rama Rao, who is number two in both party and government, is aiming for a third term from Sircilla constituency.
KCR's nephew and cabinet minister T. Harish Rao appears set to retain Siddipet seat for the fourth term in a row. Considered a powerful leader in the ruling party, he also won two by-elections from the same seat.
Among the other ministers, Etela Rajender, who holds finance portfolio, is testing his fortunes once again from Huzurabad.
Congress party's Telangana unit chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who may emerge as a strong contender for the Chief Minister's post in the event of Congress-led People's Front coming to power, is contesting for a third consecutive term.
Revanth Reddy is another key contestant. Revanth, whose midnight arrest on Tuesday triggered a storm, is contesting again from Kodangal, considered a politically sensitive constituency.
Another Working President of Congress Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is the party candidate from Madhira (SC). Former Central Minister Sarve Satyanarayana is contesting on Congress ticket from Secunderabad Cantonment (SC).
Suhasini is trying her luck from Kukatpally, a constituency in Greater Hyderabad. Suhasini, whose father N. Harikrishna died in a road accident recently, is banking on voters who have their roots in Andhra Pradesh.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s state President K. Laxman is contesting from Musheerabad in Hyderabad, while AIMIM's firebrand leader Akbaruddin Owaisi is seeking election from Chandrayangutta, also in Hyderabad, for a fifth consecutive term.
--IANS
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