HYDERABAD: Congress candidates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy filed three sets of nominations each for the two vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Telangana on Thursday.
As no other nominations were filed, both candidates are set to be elected unopposed.
Two Rajya Sabha seats from Telangana will fall vacant as Singhvi and K R Suresh Reddy of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi are set to retire on April 9.
The Congress has renominated Singhvi to the Upper House, and fielded Vem Narender Reddy to replace K R Suresh Reddy.
With the opposition BRS lacking the required numbers after 10 of its 37 MLAs switched allegiance to the Congress, the party did not field any candidate. As a result, the BRS strength in the Rajya Sabha from Telangana will fall from four to three, while the Congress tally will rise from three to four out of the state’s seven seats.
Singhvi, a senior advocate, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Telangana in August 2024. Narender Reddy, a close aide of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, is currently serving as Advisor (Public Affairs) to the Chief Minister. A former MLA from Mahabubabad, he earlier worked with Revanth Reddy in the TDP before joining the Congress.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, PCC president B Mahesh Kumar, several MLAs and MLCs were present, when the Congress candidates filed their nominations.