He is pitted against BRS' Nanda Kishore Vyas and Congress' Mogili Sunitha.
If the BJP does not win in the upcoming Assembly polls in Telangana, the saffron party will emerge as a strong opposition, the party's Goshamahal constituency candidate and outgoing legislator T Raja Singh said on Thursday.
The controversial legislator alleged that the ruling BRS party colluded with leaders of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and has induced around "17,000 bogus votes" in the constituency making it a fight between the BJP and MIM.
He is pitted against BRS' Nanda Kishore Vyas and Congress' Mogili Sunitha.
"We are hopeful that we will form the government. By any chance if we cannot form the government, the BJP will become a strong opposition," he told PTI when asked about some of the surveys being not in favour of the BJP forming the government in Telangana.
The BJP leadership, last month revoked the suspension of the Goshamahal MLA considering his explanation in response to the show cause notice served by the party earlier.
In August last year, Raja Singh was suspended from the party following his alleged controversial remarks against "Islam and Prophet Mohammed" in a video which was later pulled down by the social media platform on which it was uploaded.
He was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act. However, the Telangana High Court in November 2022 had set aside the PD Act invoked against him. Later, he was granted bail.
Raja Singh said he is going to win in the polls for a third term as he has developed the constituency by undertaking works worth over Rs 500 crore during the past nine years.
When contacted, Sunitha said Raja Singh used to be a strong candidate in the constituency earlier, but not anymore.
She further said the voters were of the opinion that the BJP, the MIM and the BRS were one and the same and also Raja Singh was rarely seen in the constituency, except in Dhoolpet area.
The Assembly elections in Telangana would be held on November 30.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)