VIJAYAWADA: P Ramanjaneyulu, Jana Sena Party MLA from Bhimavaram, is likely to be elected as Chairman of the Public Accountants Committee (PAC). With 10 MLAs filing nominations for nine PAC member posts, the conduct of election has become imminent. Seven TDP MLAs, one each from JSP, BJP and YSRC filed papers for the posts.
Though YSRC MLA Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy filed his nomination, all the nine NDA MLAs are set to be elected as PAC members as YSRC does not have required strength. According to sources, each contestant should get around 20 votes (19.44) to get elected as PAC member, and the YSRC nominee is likely to lose the election as its strength is 11 only. In such a scenario, one among the nine elected PAC members will be elected as the chairman.
In all likelihood, Ramanjaneyulu will become PAC chairman, sources added. Though the BJP has 7 MLAs, its candidate P Vishnu Kumar Raju filed the papers from the saffron party, and he is expected to win the election with the support of TDP and JSP MLAs.
Though there was a practice to give the PAC chairman post to the opposition party, the YSRC failed to get the Principal Opposition Party status in the House because of its meagre strength.
In fact, during the previous YSRC regime, the TDP, which got the Opposition party status with 23 MLAs, nominated Payyavula Keshav as the Public Accountants Committee member, and subsequently he became the Chairman.