TDP fields Mahalakshmi, Garikapati for RS

HYDERABAD: The names of TDP secretary Garikapati Mohan Rao of Warangal and party West Godavari district president Thota Sita Mahalakshmi are learnt to have been finalised as Rajya Sabha candidates of Telugu Desam Party.

This gave a heartburn to former minister and senior leader Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, who was an aspirant. He left in a huff mid-way the politburo meeting called by party chief N Chandrababu Naidu.

Another leader who could not stomach Chandrababu Naidu's decision was MLA Mothkupalli Narasimhulu who too walked away from the meeting and tried to express his displeasure through the media, but was stopped by MP Nama Nageshwar Rao and others.

Earlier, Naidu's brother-in-law and former Rajya Sabha member Nandamuri Harikrishna demanded that he be considered for Rajya Sabha nomination.

Incidentally, the sixth RS seat in AP fell vacant following Harikrishna's resignation in protest against the Centre's decision to bifurcate the state.

Harikrishna has not been on good terms with Chandrababu for quite sometime and criticising him for ignoring NTR's family members. On Monday, he attended the politburo meeting at Naidu's residence.

He reportedly told Naidu that he has come to the meeting to tell him that he was also in the race for Rajya Sabha seat.

Naidu was taken aback by Harikrishna's demand, but did not react immediately. Harikrishna left the meeting a few minutes later. Though Naidu tried to stop him, Harikrishna said as he was in the race for RS seat it would not be proper for him to be at the meeting which was discussing the issue.

Earlier in the day, Naidu almost finalised Garikapati Mohan Rao and Mothkupalli Narasimhulu's names. But by evening, Thota Sita Mahalakshmi replaced Narasimhulu.

Narasimhulu was very hopeful of getting the seat as he is an SC and one of the senior party leaders from Telangana region. But his hopes were dashed with the entry of Sita Mahalakshmi.

According to sources, Mohan Rao got support from even Seemandhra leaders and his name was cleared at the TDLP meeting held in the morning. It is believed that Narasimhulu too got support from a few Seemandhra leaders and even senior Telangana leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao supported him.

Former MP Kambhampati Ram Mohan Rao, TD Janardhan Rao, former ministers Ch Ayanna Patrudu and Gorantla Butchaiah Choudhary, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Arvindkumar Goud and Nerella Narasimhulu also aspired for RS seat.