VIJAYAWADA: It’s official. Chief Minister and YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has finalised YSRC candidates for the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections. Apart from ministers Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and Mopidevi Venkataramana, Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy and industrialist Parimal Nathwani have been named as party candidates for filing the four seats that fell vacant from the State.
It may be recalled that TNIE last week broke the story about YSRC nominees for the Rajya Sabha polls.
As the YSRC government decided to abolish the AP Legislative Council and passed a resolution in the Assembly for the same (the issue is pending with the Centre), the party gave two Rajya Sabha seats to Deputy Chief Minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and Animal Husbandry, Fisheries & Marketing Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana, both hail from Backward Classes (BCs). Bose and Venkataramana would have lost their Cabinet berths once the Council was abolished. With allocation to two out of the four Rajya Sabha seats to the BCs, the party wants to send a message that it is committed for the uplift of BCs.
Ayodhya Rami Reddy, a noted industrialist, who unsuccessfully contested from the Guntur Lok Sabha seat in 2014, got the third party seat. Perumal Nathwani, Group President of Corporate Affairs at Reliance Industries Ltd, has been representing the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand since 2008. As his tenure is set to end in April this year, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani called on Jagan on February 29 reportedly to lobby for Nathwani.
As it has 151 MLAs, the YSRC is comfortably placed to win all four seats. With this, the YSRC strength in the Rajya Sabha will rise to six from two at present and the number of TDP members will come down to one from six it had by the time of general elections. While four TDP Rajya Sabha MPs joined the BJP, another MP Thota Seetharamalakshmi will retire in April.
The yellow party will have lone MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar in the Upper House.Last date for filing of nominations is March 23 and polling, if required, will be held on March 26. Speaking to mediapersons, senior YSRC leader Umareddy Venkateswarulu said that as per the decision taken by the party to give 50 per cent seats to BCs, the party nominated the two BCs out of the total four.
Stating that Nathwani was given the chance following the appeal from Ambani, who assured to strive for the development of the State and setting up industries, Ummareddy said that the former will also be considered as YSRC candidate. He further said that there is no need for the ministers to tender resignation until taking oath as Rajya Sabha members.
Meanwhile, Nathwani thanked Jagan for giving him the opportunity. “I sincerely thank Hon’ble CM Sh @ysjagan and his party @YSRCParty for considering me as their Rajya Sabha candidate from Andhra Pradesh. I am committed to serve the people of #AP. @PMOIndia @narendramodi @AmitShah #RajyaSabha,’’ he tweeted.
Who will be the successors of the two ministers?
With Jagan nominating two of his Cabinet colleagues to the Rajya Sabha, speculation rife in the ruling YSRC on successors of the duo. While a section of party leaders felt that Jagan may fill the vacancies with BCs, some other leaders say that with allocating two Rajya Sabha seats to BCs, Jagan may allocate the Cabinet berths to others. As the Chief Minister has already cautioned the ministers to be ready for tendering resignation in case of failing to win more seats in the local polls, a clarity over the reshuffle of the Cabinet will come out after the outcome of the elections.