Telangana Election 2023: BJP worker tries to self-immolate over ticket distribution

Telangana Election 2023: Protesting BJP's decision not to field Vikas Rao, the son of BJP leader Vidyasagar Rao, in the upcoming state assembly elections, a man in Hyderabad attempted self-immolation in front of the BJP state headquarters.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activist tried to set himself on fire in front of the BJP office during a protest against the party's decision not to field Vikas Rao, the son of BJP leader and former Union Minister Vidyasagar Rao, in the upcoming assembly elections.

The activist attempted to self-immolate during the Vikas Rao supporters' demonstration outside the Telangana BJP state office in Hyderabad on Tuesday, but the police intervened quickly to stop him.

Following the party's selection of Uma Tula over Vikas Rao in the Vemulawada assembly seat, BJP workers voiced their disapproval of the move. Senior BJP leader and Member of Parliament Prakash Javdekar visited the protest location after it had ended and interacted with Rao's followers.

The BJP is eager to increase its presence in Telangana, and on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and actor-politician Pawan Kalyan shared the stage in a move that was highly visible. The actor's Jan Sena Party has been given eight seats by the party in the state, where Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party is not running.   The Congress, which has been a third in the race for Telangana's 119 seats, is expected to reap the rewards. 

Telangana votes on November 30. The counting is due on December 3 when vote-counting will happen from four other states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.