As expected, Jana Sena Party on Friday officially announced the name of industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh.
The decision was taken by party president and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, according to a statement issued by Jana Sena Party political secretary Hariprasad in the evening.
Hariprasad stated that Lingamaneni Ramesh has been associated with the party since 2015 and has been inspired by Pawan Kalyan's vision for the development of Andhra Pradesh.
He said Ramesh is scheduled to file his nomination on Saturday afternoon.
On Thursday, the Telugu Desam Party-led alliance decided that out of the four Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant from the state, three would be allotted to the TDP and one to Jana Sena.
Although a few names were reportedly under consideration for the Jana Sena nomination, sources indicated that Pawan Kalyan showed a clear preference for Lingamaneni Ramesh.
Now that Jana Sena's candidate is confirmed, attention has shifted to the TDP's choices for its three Rajya Sabha nominations.
Several senior leaders are reportedly in contention, including Kambhampati Ram Mohan Rao, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Varla Ramaiah and Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao.
The names of Chintakayala Vijay and former MP Galla Jayadev have also been doing the rounds, apart from outgoing MP Sana Satish Babu and TDP’s backroom boy Kilaru Rajesh.
There is also a talk that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu might consider the name of an SC like Varla Ramaiah or Dokka Manikya Varaprasad.
The name Sana Satish Babu could be given another opportunity. Rajesh, considered a close associate of TDP working president Nara Lokesh, also stands a fair chance, sources said.
Naidu generally weighs social, economic and political factors before making key decisions.
Reports suggest the party is considering caste representation, particularly among Kamma, Kapu and Scheduled Caste communities, while finalising its Rajya Sabha nominees.
The deadline for filing nominations is June 8, and clarity on the TDP's candidates is expected by Saturday or Sunday.
