KK secures re-nomination, KCR picks Suresh for second seat in Rajya Sabha

Once the duo are elected, all 7 Rajya Sabha members from TS would be from the TRS
Telangana CM with Keshava Rao (right) and K R Suresh Reddy. (Photo | Express)
Telangana CM with Keshava Rao (right) and K R Suresh Reddy. (Photo | Express)

HYDERABAD: TRS Parliamentary Party leader K Keshava Rao has secured re-nomination to Rajya Sabha while former Speaker of AP Legislative Assembly KR Suresh Reddy will be the TRS candidate for the second seat in the Upper House from Telangana State. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao finalised their candidatures on Thursday and the duo will be filing their papers on Friday, the last day for filing nominations.

With the TRS having a brute majority of 100 out of 119 seats in the Assembly, there is no way other parties could force a contest. Telugu Desam Party and BJP have one MLA each in the House and the Congress’ size has shrunk significantly from its strength of 19 to six with 12 of them joining the TRS ranks en bloc and one member — N Uttam Kumar Reddy of Congress — vacating his seat after his election to Lok Sabha.What has worked in favour of Keshava Rao was his proximity to Chandrasekhar Rao and his ability in voicing the party’s opinion forcefully in Rajya Sabha with his oratorial skills. This apart, he belongs to backward classes community, another reason that one cannot lose sight of.
Though Keshava Rao’s re-nomination was on cards, the nomination of Suresh Reddy has come as a surprise. Suresh, who hails from Nizamabad district, is fluent in English, Hindi and Telugu. When was Speaker of Assembly between 2004 and 2009, he brought name to the institution when the Congress was in power in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

Ahead of 2018 Assembly elections, he joined the TRS but he was benched subsequently though he had aspired for ticket in the elections and later on a place in the Legislative Council.According to sources, what KCR had seen in him is ability to lobby with the officials of the Central government to get funds for various State programmes and projects.  It is his persuasive skills and Telangana credentials that had weighed in his favour in making the cut. He happened to have played a role in arguing for Telangana with Congress leadership in 2014. Last but not the least, KCR does not want an impression to gain ground that he had forgotten about Suresh Reddy, who pining hopes of a break in his career, switched his loyalty to the TRS, leaving the Congress by the wayside.

Suresh Reddy would be replacing KVP Ramachandra Rao who was allotted to Telangana though he is from AP following the bifurcation of the State in 2014. Though the election is scheduled on March 26, as there would be no opposition, the two would be declared elected on March 18 itself after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations closes. After their election, all the seven RS members from Telangana would be from the TRS party.

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