Hectic lobbying for RS seats - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad: As many as six Rajya Sabha members including former Union Minister Dasari Narayana Rao, AICC spokesman Rashid Alvi, K Keshava Rao and G Sanjeeva Reddy (all Congress), Dr M V Mysoora Reddy (TDP) and Syed Aziz Pasha (CPI) will be completing their six year term in the Rajya Sabha later this month.

Of the six seats, Congress will have to put up candidates for four seats while the TDP can get two candidates elected.

Already the Congress party aspirants have intensified their lobbying for the Rajya Sabha seats. Among the Congress aspirants are sitting MPs Dasari Narayana Rao, Rashid Alvi and K Keshav Rao.

The others are former Union Minister Renuka Choudhary, former Speaker K R Suresh Reddy, former ministers Mohd Ali Shabbir, T Venkatram Reddy, P Sudharkar Reddy and Y S Vivekananda Reddy, erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party founder K Chiranjeevi who merged his party with Congress and industrialists G V Krishna Reddy, G Mallikarjuna Rao and AP Congress Committee Vice President Abid Rasool Khan.

While Chiranjeevi has been assured of a berth in the Union Cabinet after he merged his party with Congress and also supported the Kiran Kumar Reddy government during the no- confidence motion in the winter session of the State Assembly, the visit of Union Minister Ghulam Nabhi Azad to Renuka Choudhary's residence during his visit to the city to attend the coordination committee meeting in January led to speculations that she was also one of the contenders.

Kiran Kumar Reddy is said to be keen on business tycoon Krishna Reddy's nomination, Mohd Ali Shabbir is relying on his powerful contacts in Delhi. He also refused to contest the by-election from the Kamareddy Assembly segment though he was elected twice from the same place in the past.

AICC spokesman Rashid Alvi, who is from Uttar Pradesh, has already met the Chief Minister and AP Congress Committee President B Satyanarayana seeking their support for a second term.

Even Keshava Rao, who has been criticising the Chief Minister on Telangana issue for the last few months, has been maintaining a stoic silence and has met the Chief Minister on Saturday seeking renomination for the third time.

Abid Rasool Khan, who unsuccessfully tried for the Assembly ticket in 2009 elections, is also keen to get the high command's nod this time. Senior Congress leader Suresh Reddy, who was elected four times to the Assembly, is also in the race.

From Telugu Desam, Mysoora Reddy is expecting re-nomination for a second time. "I will not put pressure on the party to continue me for the second term. Party will take a decision whether to re-nominate me or not," said Mysoora Reddy.

The other aspirants are Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, K Yerran Naidu, CM Ramesh, Kambampati Rammohan Rao, Varla Ramaiah, Uppeneti Kalpana.

From the Telangana region, Aravind Kumar Goud, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Bikkani Narasimhulu, Muddusani Damodar Reddy are also lobbying for the seat.

The present party-wise strength in the State Assembly is Total-294. Congress 137, TDP 86, PRP 17, TRS 12, MIM 7, CPI 4, CPM 1 BJP 2, Lok Satta 1, YSRCP 1, Independents 2 and vacancies 24.

Congress sources say that even if the party loses all the seven by-elections, it will not have any impact on the outcome of the Rajya Sabha elections.