Andhra Pradesh   

Congress top guns in race for RS seats

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 25. It is now a race among Congress leaders for the Rajya Sabha seat as the date for elections draws closer.

Several senior leaders, who were busy all these days with the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Cabinet-formation exercises in the State and at the Centre, are now eyeing the membership of the Upper House.

In all, there will be seven vacancies, including the one with only a two-year term remaining (vacancy caused by the death of K. M. Khan). While the TDP is all set to bag one of the seats, the ruling alliance is almost sure to win the remaining six. One of these could go to the TRS - if the latter demands.

It remains to be seen how much say the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, will have in the selection of candidates since the Rajya Sabha elections fall largely under the purview of the Congress high command.

Among those seeking party ticket for the Upper House are Sarojini Pulla Reddy, V. Hanumantha Rao, Md. Jani, P. Upendra, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, Mallu Ravi, Palvai Goverdhan Reddy and K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao. The names of several Congress leaders in New Delhi are also doing the rounds.

Another likely contender could be the PCC president, D. Srinivas, himself. He is said to have expressed the desire to his followers to shift to Delhi being unhappy at the "insignificant portfolio" being allotted here.

It would also be interesting to see the extent to the Congress accommodates the TRS, which will be left with 25 seats in the Assembly after the likely resignation of its chief, K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The Chief Minister already has his task cut out in taking aboard TRS MLAs into his Ministry.

A handful of young Congress MLAs who are Dr. Reddy's staunch followers and who could not be accommodated in the expansion of the Cabinet are a disappointed lot now.

Their discontent could only grow if the process of accommodating the TRS results in shutting the door of opportunity during the Cabinet expansion.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Five more farmers commit suicide
• TDP unfazed by new Government's move
• Three naxals surrender
• Freeze debt recovery: CPI(M)
• APCO sets higher sales target of Rs. 110 crores
• Change of Government rekindles Urdu-lovers' hopes
• Police clueless in jewellery theft case
• Tobacco growers plump for new insurance package
• Congress top guns in race for RS seats
• Urban banks' depositors face unprecedented crisis
• Sarpanches want Janmabhoomi scrapped
• BoI targets coastal AP for business development
• Government initiative to revive Prudential, Vasavi banks
• Assistance to farmers brooks no delay: CPI
• Prudential Bank Chairman resigns
• Senior Assistant held on graft charge
• Two special secretaries appointed for CM's office
• TDP unfazed by new Government's move
• Panel on suicides to meet on May 30
• `PSUs must for national security'
• TRS expresses anguish
• Daggubati not upset
• KCR for city tomorrow
• Briefly
• Crime watch

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu