The Hindu : Front Page : RS seats: fear of `outsiders' haunts aspirants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

RS seats: fear of `outsiders' haunts aspirants

W. Chandrakanth

Hyderabad: The race for the Rajya Sabha seat is hotting up with several Congress leaders throwing their hats in the ring. But aspirants are also wary about the high command fielding partymen from other States to the Upper House from Andhra Pradesh as it did in 2004.

The biennial election for six Rajya Sabha seats is scheduled to be held in the last week of March coinciding with the budget session of the Assembly. Those who will retire from office are Union Minister Dasari Narayan Rao and Rashid Alvi (both Congress) and K. Rammohan Rao, A. Rajkumar, Vanga Geeta and Ramamuni Reddy (all TDP).

The TDP, which has 46 MLAs, is in a clear position of winning one seat while the Congress and its allies will win the remaining five seats comfortably. Having accommodated the CPI (M) last time, the Congress is likely to give one seat to the CPI now.

Hot favourites

The names making the rounds in the Congress for the Rajya Sabha ticket are that of APCC president, K. Keshava Rao, political advisor to the Chief Minister and his close aide, K. V. P. Ramachandra Rao, APCC treasurer Pennar Pratap Reddy and T. Venkat Ram Reddy, a former MP. Mr. Dasari Narayaan Rao is sure to seek re-election and crowd the political space further.

Congress leaders apprehend that their prospects may be diluted if party heavyweight Arjun Singh, Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, are given the ticket and and Rashid Alvi (from Uttar Pradesh) are selected by the AICC at the last minute. Mr. Alvi was nominated against the vacancy arising out of the death of K. M. Khan and his term also expires now. The party's compulsions in UP may force the AICC to field him again, they feel.

Last year too, only V. Hanumantha Rao, could get elected to the Rajya Sabha under the Andhra Pradesh quota. All others -- Jairam Ramesh, Rashid Alvi, J.D.Seelam (an IAS officer of Karnataka cadre) and Girish Sanghi were the choice of the AICC.

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