Hyderabad, Apr 16 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Dr T. N. Vamsha Tilak as its candidate for the by-election to the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly constituency.

His candidature was announced by the BJP’s Central Election Committee on Tuesday.

The by-election to Secunderabad Cantonment, one of the Assembly segments of Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency, is scheduled to be held along with the Lok Sabha polls on May 13.

The Assembly seat fell vacant after the death of sitting MLA Lasya Nanditha of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in a road accident in February 2024.

She was elected in the Assembly elections held on November 30, 2023.

BRS has already announced Nanditha’s sister Nivedita as its candidate.

The main opposition party hopes to capitalize on the sympathy perceived to have built up following Nanditha’s death within three months after her election.

Nanditha died in a car crash near Hyderabad on February 23.

The 37-year-old was elected in the elections held in November 2023. She was the daughter of BRS leader and five-time MLA from Secunderabad constituency, G. Sayanna, who had passed away on February 19 last year due to illness.

Nanditha had defeated her nearest rival Narayanan Sri Ganesh of the BJP by a margin of 17,169 votes.

Sri Ganesh recently joined the ruling Congress party. The Congress party named Sri Ganesh as its candidate