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Congress fields YSR’s aide for Rajya Sabha election

S. Nagesh Kumar

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy had his way with the Congress high command in getting the party ticket for the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha to his close political aide K. V. P. Ramachandra Rao.

Along with Mr. Rao, four other Congress nominees — Union Minister T. Subbarami Reddy, Nandi Yellaiah, M. A. Khan and T. Ratna Bai — besides, Telugu Desam Party’s Nandamuri Harikrishna filed their nomination papers on Saturday. As there are only six candidates for as many seats, they will be formally declared elected to the Upper House on March 19, the last date for withdrawal.

It was a double delight for Dr. Reddy as the day marked his completion of 30 years as an elected representative, both as MLA and MP. It was on March 15, 1978 that he took oath as an MLA representing Pulivendula constituency and has never lost an election since.

The Congress leadership appeared to have taken the decision to field 59-year-old Dr. Ramachandra Rao sometime ago, but withheld an announcement till the last day. Nagging doubts about his candidature were dispelled when AICC general secretary Veerappa Moily informed partymen on the sidelines of the Jaggampet public meeting on Friday that Dr. Rao’s name had been approved. Dr. Rao told this correspondent that he tendered his resignation as Adviser (Public Affairs) to Government, a Cabinet rank post which would render him ineligible to contest as it is an office of profit. He said he received the high command’s green signal to contest at 9.45 on Saturday morning. The YSR camp claimed that M. A. Khan, former chief of Congress Seva Dal and Ms. Ratna Bai, former MLA and ex-DCC president of East Godavari, were proposed by Dr. Reddy after the AICC wanted representation for a Muslim and a woman, preferably a tribal.

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