Hyderabad, July 1 -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formally appointed N Ramchander Rao as the new Telangana state president on Tuesday, July 1. The post was previously held by Union minister and Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy.

The announcement ended days of intense speculation over who would be the next Telangana state BJP president. Apart from Rao, Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender's name also lingered around the party corridors.

The 66-year-old senior leader's appointment comes after the saffron party issued the notification for the post on June 29.

The previous day, Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh announced his resignation from the party, alleging he was not allowed to contest for the party's state president post. He also expressed his dissa...