HYDERABAD: As two Rajya Sabha seats would be vacant by April 9 this year, speculations are rife over who the TRS would appoint for the seats. However, the party has been maintaining silence over the appointment of the members.
Given the number of Assembly seats won by the TRS, a whopping 104 seats out of the total 119, the party would grab the two Rajya Sabha seats in all likelihood. If need be, it may seek support from the AIMIM, which has seven seats in the Assembly.
Sources say that the seat occupied by Garikapati Mohan Rao, who was elected from TDP in 2014 and migrated to BJP later, may be filled by former Nizamabad MP and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha.
The party cadre has been pressurising the Chief Minister to give her any decent position as she has been keeping away from politics ever since her defeat in the Nizamabad Parliament elections. Meanwhile, the hopefuls, including former MPs Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Manda Jagannatham and Seetaram Naik and former Speaker of united Andhra Pradesh KR Suresh Reddy, have started visiting Pragathi Bhavan to persuade the Chief Minister to consider them for the Rajya Sabha seats.
There have also been speculations over party secretary general and present Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao being appointed again for the post. He has already served as a Rajya Sabha MP for two terms, once from 2006 to 2012 being a Congress party member and one after he joined the TRS, from 2014 till now.
However, sources say that his appointment is unlikely as misunderstandings have cropped up between him and the Chief Minister, especially since the TSRTC strike. Keshava Rao had acted as a mediator between the RTC unions and the corporation during the strike. Also, another factor that may prove a disadvantage for him is his age. As he is 80 years old now, the Chief Minister may cite that as a reason for not choosing him for the Rajya Sabha seat.
KK’s appointment
Sources say that K Keshava Rao’s appointment in the Rajya Sabha is unlikely as misunderstandings have cropped up between him and the Chief Minister, especially since the TSRTC strike. Also, as he is 80 years old now, the CM may cite that as a reason for not choosing him