Hyderabad, May 13: Three farmers died of lightning in Telangana's Mancherial district early on Sunday, police said.

The incident occurred in their field in Arepalli village. According to police, the farmers had gone to their fields to protect the paddy from rains. The deceased have been identified as R. Rajaiah, K. Bapu and J. Ramesh.

The farmers were trying to place covers on the paddy kept in the field after cutting but did not succeed due to strong winds and rains. In the meantime, they were struck by lightning resulting in their death.

When they did not return home, their family members went to the field and saw their bodies.

Telangana has been experiencing thunderstorm and unseasonal rains for last few days.

Meanwhile, the Met office has forecast thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds at isolated places in various districts of Telangana on Sunday and Monday, even as some parts of the state are likely to record maximum temperature between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius.

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Delhi: The increased involvement of Smriti Irani in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activities in Delhi has stirred discussions within the party's local unit regarding her potential candidacy in the upcoming 2025 assembly elections. For the first time in a decade, the BJP is considering projecting a face for its Delhi election campaign, with Irani's name among those in contention.

The recent meeting included discussions about several potential names who could be the face of the BJP for their Delhi poll campaign, including Irani, who previously lost the Lok Sabha election in Amethi to Congress's Kishori Lal, a senior BJP leader told The Indian Express. Other names mentioned include Praveen Khandelwal, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Manoj Tiwari, and Bansuri Swaraj. “Several possibilities are on the table, including fielding Smriti ji, regarding whom the national leadership is in the process of taking the final decision. Or, the party may bet on an incumbent Lok Sabha MP popular enough to pull the party through the Delhi Assembly elections. If an MP gets elected CM, they may then be replaced by a former Union Minister,” added the BJP functionary.

An insider revealed to the publication that the saffron party is contemplating a unified campaign strategy for the Delhi elections, marking a significant shift since the party last did so in 2015. This topic was addressed among senior leaders during a meeting held at the party's DDU Marg headquarters on the same day that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi Chief Minister, handing leadership to Atishi. The source revealed that the Union Ministers present in the meeting asked for suggestions on whom the party could project as the face of its Delhi election campaign based on various criteria.

In addition to selecting a campaign face, BJP leadership is reportedly also considering a larger role for its Delhi MPs, keeping adequate caste and community representation in mind.. “As far as the MPs are concerned, they are being assessed based on their popularity as well as the caste and community they belong to. The party may go in for significant organisational changes in Delhi during Navratri in October after the conclusion of the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections,” a BJP leader told IE.