Hyderabad, March 1 (IANS) Hectic lobbying is on in the ruling Congress party in Telangana for two Rajya Sabha seats with several senior leaders aspiring for the tickets.
While Congress is likely to re-nominate senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi to the Upper House, all eyes are on who will be the leadership’s choice for the second seat.
Some veteran leaders have openly expressed their desire to be nominated to Rajya Sabha and they are engaged in intense lobbying in the national capital.
The elections for two Rajya Sabha seats from the state are scheduled on March 16.
The terms of sitting members Abhishek Manu Singhvi and KR Suresh Reddy will end on April 9, necessitating elections.
Suresh Reddy is currently the BRS Parliamentary Party leader, while Singhvi was elected to the seat as Congress candidate in 2024 replacing K. Keshava Rao who resigned after joining the Congress party.
The ruling party has 66 MLAs in 119-member Assembly and the support of its ally Communist Party of India (CPI), which has one MLA, and All India-Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has seven MLAs, it is sitting pretty to win both the seats.
Sources indicate that senior Supreme Court advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is likely to retain his seat with the backing of the Congress high command. Singhvi’s legal acumen and articulate presence in Parliament are seen as key assets for the party at the national level.
The second seat, however, has triggered considerable interest within the State unit.
Veteran Congress leader Shyam Mohan Anantula, Chief Minister’s advisor Vem Narender Reddy, former Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao, Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board, G Chinna Reddy, Former MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud, Chairman of the Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission, M Kodanda Reddy are among the aspirants.
Anantula, younger brother of Madan Mohan Anantula, who was a minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, is also seen as a strong contender.
A veteran Congressman with over six decades of association with the party, Anantula’s name is being discussed in party circles as a symbol of organisational loyalty and institutional memory. He participated in the 1960-61 All India Youth Congress convention addressed by Indira Gandhi and played a role in the 1969 Telangana movement.
Anantula, who is Vice-Chairman of the Telangana Congress Disciplinary Action Committee, has expressed confidence that the AICC will recognise his more than six decades of dedicated service to the party and consider him for nomination to the Rajya Sabha.
He told media in New Delhi that he remains committed to strengthening the party organisation and advancing its ideological vision.
As March 5 is the last date for filing nominations, a decision on the candidates is likely in a couple of days.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is likely to discuss the issue with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, state Congress chief Mahesh Kumar Goud and other top leaders during his visit to Telangana on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Vikarabad to attend a training programme for the newly appointed District Congress Committee presidents in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
–IANS
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