HYDERABAD: With the TDP dropping its plan to field a fourth candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, stage is all set for the unanimous election of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu (BJP), Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Y Satyanarayana (Sujana) Chowdary (TDP), former minister TG Venkatesh (TDP) and V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRC) for the four seats from Andhra Pradesh to which biennial election will be held on June 11.
For Suresh Prabhu, it will be his first stint in the Upper House from AP while it will be the second consecutive time for Sujana from the State. Venkatesh and Vijayasai Reddy will represent AP for the first time in Rajya Sabha.
Nominations of all the candidates will be scrutinised on Wednesday. All the four candidates are likely to be announced elected unopposed, after expiration of date of withdrawal, which is on June 3. Hence, election, slated for June 11, might not take place. On Wednesday, AP Assembly premises in Hyderabad witnessed frantic political activity as the three candidates from the TDP-BJP combine filed their nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls, accompanied by all the key leaders of their respective parties.
Accompanied by Civil Aviation minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju, BJP’s AP unit chief K Haribabu and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, Suresh Prabhu submitted his nomination papers to the returning officer, K Satyanarayana Rao, who is also in charge secretary of the State Legislature.
Later, the two TDP candidates, Sujana and Venkatesh, filed their nomination papers.
Interestingly, Vijayasai Reddy’s wife Sunanda Reddy filed another nomination from YSRC as a precautionary measure.
“As Vijayasai is facing cases, Sunanda has been asked to stay in the fray. She will withdraw her nomination once Vijaysai’s nomination passes the scrutiny,” party sources said.
Prabhu’s nomination kindles hopes on railway zone
Hyderabad : TDP is hopeful that the state’s desire to have its own railway zone will be fulfilled, soon as railway minister Suresh Prabhu is being sent to the Rajya Sabha from AP. However, Suresh Prabhu skipped a question on the railway zone soon after filing his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls on the Assembly premises here on Tuesday. “I can’t say anything on this at this juncture as code of conduct is in force. I can say one thing that I will strive hard for the development of the state as an MP representing the state,” the railway minister told mediapersons.