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The opposition TDP is likely to contest the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to be held on February 27. The party is thinking of fielding its politburo member Varla Ramaiah as its candidate for the election.
Ramaiah was the TDP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections held in March 2020. Though the party fell short of numbers for the election, it fielded its candidate making voting compulsory. The TDP had 21 members after its MLAs Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan from Gannavaram and Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthy from Chirala defecting to the ruling YSR Congress.
The party required at least 43 MLAs to win a single Rajya Sabha seat in the 2020 election. With just 21 members, the TDP contested the election not giving the scope for the YSR Congress to have them unanimously.
This time too, the TDP is not ready to give the three Rajya Sabha seats in golden platter to the ruling YSR Congress. The party plans to contest the election. This time, besides its 19 members, after the defection of two more MLAs, the TDP has the strength of four MLAs who were suspended by the ruling party.
The YSR Congress suspended four MLAs after the MLC elections on the charges of voting for the TDP. It was alleged that four MLAs from the YSR Congress have voted for TDP candidate, Panchumarthy Anuradha, in the MLC elections.
Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy and Undavalli Sridevi were accused of cross voting. The party suspended these four MLAs on the spot. On being suspended, the MLAs joined the opposition TDP. They are likely to vote for the TDP in the Rajya Sabha elections this time.
Meanwhile, the ruling YSR Congress is said to have decided on the candidatures of TTD former chairman Y V Subba Reddy, MLAs Golla Babu Rao and Arani Srinivasulu for the Rajya Sabha elections. Three members are retiring from the Upper House on April 2, 2024. Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar of the TDP, C M Ramesh of the BJP and Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy of the YSR Congress are scheduled to retire in April this year. Elections are being held to fill the three vacancies.
