Epaper
With four Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh set to fall vacant in June, hectic lobbying has begun within the ruling alliance over the likely allocation of seats among coalition partners — the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Jana Sena Party.
It is more or less certain that two of the four seats are expected to go to the TDP. Among them, sitting MP Sana Satish is likely to be renominated.
The second seat may be allocated to a prominent figure from the pharmaceutical industry, reflecting the party’s inclination to bring in industry representation.
The remaining two seats are expected to be shared between the BJP and Jana Sena, with each party likely to get one seat.
Within the BJP, speculation is rife that either Tamil Nadu leader K Annamalai or social activist Manda Krishna Madiga could be nominated, though no official confirmation has been made.
The Jana Sena Party, led by deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, is also under tremendous pressure over the selection of its nominee for the Rajya Sabha. Two to three names are currently doing the rounds within party circles.
All these days, industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh has been widely speculated as a frontrunner for the Rajya Sabha berth. However, of late, there are said to be a lot of differences within the party regarding his candidature.
Now, the name of another industrialist, Bandaru Narasimha Rao, Managing Director of Siddharth Infratech, is also being considered.
According to party insiders, Narasimha Rao had earlier expressed interest in contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on a Jana Sena ticket, and his name has resurfaced now in line with earlier assurances.
Besides, the name of a prominent Tollywood film producer, who is currently active with multiple projects, has also come into discussion. There is also the talk of Pawan Kalyan’s brother Naga Babu evincing interest in the RS seat.
The question is whether Pawan Kalyan will opt for a candidate from the business or film fraternity, or choose a grassroots party worker to signal a different political message and reinforce the party’s ideological positioning.
