Congress Nominates Former MP Suresh Shetkar From Telangana's Zahirabad (image-X/suresh_shetkar)

The Congress party has nominated Suresh Shetkar from Telangana”s Zahirabad constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Previously, senior Congress leader Suresh Kumar Shetkar had served as the MLA from Narayankhed in 2004. In the 2009 general elections, Shetkar secured the Zahirabad seat on the Congress ticket with 3.9 lakh votes. However, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, or BRS (former Telangana Rashtra Samithi), candidate BB Patil won the seat with an overwhelming 5 lakh votes, while Shetkar only managed 3.6 lakh votes.

Born to freedom fighter and three-time MLA Shivrao Shetkar and Chandramma, Suresh Shetkar did his B.Sc. in agriculture at Marathwada Agricultural University in Maharashtra. Shetkar’s family lineage has several freedom fighters in it. His grandfather, Apparao Shetkar, was also a freedom fighter and was elected twice to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the assembly segment of Narayankhed. Shivrao Shetkar was also elected from the same assembly segment.

In 2004, Shetkar became the third generation from his family to also be elected as an MLA from the Narayankhed assembly segment. He has also served as the Youth Congress President of Medak District from 1991-98. From 2002 to 2008, he served as the President of the Committee.

Established in 2008, the Zahirabad Lok Sabha constituency comprises legislative assembly segments such as Jukkal, Banswada, Yellareddy, Kamareddy, Narayankhed, Andole (SC reserved), and Zahirabad (SC reserved).

In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024, Shetkar has again been nominated by Congress. Once again, he will have a face-off with sitting MP and ex-BRS candidate BB Patil, who has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Zahirabad Lok Sabha seat in the state of Telangana.