HYDERABAD: All eyes are now on the nomination of two MLCs under the Governor’s quota, as the tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the Pragathi Bhavan has been continuing. The moot question is whether or not the Governor would approve the names recommended by the State Cabinet.
The tenure of two MLCs nominated to the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota — D Rajeshwar Rao and Farooq Hussain — will expire on May 27. The State Cabinet, which is slated to meet on March 9, is expected to finalise the two names for these seats.
However, it may be recalled that Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan held back the file when the government recommended the name of Padi Kaushik Reddy under the Governor’s quota. The Governor neither gave her consent to Kaushik Reddy’s candidature nor rejected the file. So, the BRS sent Kaushik Reddy to the Council under MLAs category. Later, the government recommended the name of S Madhusudhana Chary under the Governor’s quota, which was approved by the Raj Bhavan.
Earlier, the Governor gave her consent for nominating Basavaraju Saraiah, Boggarapu Dayanand and Gorati Venkanna under the Governor’s quota in November, 2020. According to sources, this time, too, the Governor’s decision will purely depend on which names the State Cabinet will clear under the quota.
In BRS circles, the names of former minister Thummala Nageswara Rao and Budida Bikshamaiah Goud are doing the rounds for nomination under the quota. Nageswara Rao, after the BRS meeting in Khammam, became active in the party again. Former Alair MLA Bikhamaiah Goud joined BRS from BJP in October, 2022.