HYDERABAD: Telugu superstar K. Chiranjeevi and Congress party spokesperson Renuka Chowdary were among six candidates Thursday elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
Congress party's Chiranjeevi, Chowdary, P.Goverdhan Reddy and R. Anand Bhaskar and Telugu Desam Party's T. Devender Goud and C.M. Ramesh were all elected without a contest.
With the deadline for withdrawal of nominations coming to end Thursday evening, the legislature secretary and returning officer Raja Sadaram announced that all the six candidates were elected unopposed.
Given their strength in the state assembly, Congress could send four and TDP two members to fill the vacancies caused by retirement of six lawmakers. Barring Chowdary, all others are first time members of Rajya Sabha.
The Congress party has rewarded Chiranjeevi for merging his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with Congress. The vacancies arose due to the retirement of K. Keshava Rao, Rashid Alvi, Dasari Narayana Rao, G. Sanjeeva Reddy (all Congress), M.V. Mysoora Reddy (TDP) and Azeez Pasha (Communist Party of India).