By IANS,
Hyderabad : Ignoring objections, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu Thursday named industrialist Y. Sujana Chowdary as one of the party candidates for the June 14 Rajya Sabha elections.
After marathon discussions with senior party leaders, Naidu decided to field Chowdary, chairman of Sujana Group of Industries, who has been funding the party for several years.
G. Sudharani will be the other TDP candidate in the polls to six Rajya Sabha seats from the state. While the ruling Congress party is expected to win four seats, the main opposition TDP is hoping to clinch the remaining two.
TDP sources said Chowdary has been fielded as a representative from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions while Sudharani comes from Telangana. She is a woman leader belonging to a backward class.
By nominating Chowdary, Naidu has ignored several leaders, including his brother-in-law and Rajya Sabha member N. Harikrishna, who had openly opposed the industrialist’s nomination.
Harikrishna, son of TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, and several Rajya Sabha aspirants had warned Naidu against fielding an outsider. They wanted him to nominate only those who had worked hard to strengthen the party.
Naidu has ignored strong contenders like former central ministers K. Yerran Naidu, Ummareddy Venkateswarlu, former state ministers Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and P. Chandrasekhar and party vice-president Lal Jan Basha.
The elections to six Rajya Sabha seats from the state are being held as five Congress members have retired. They are union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, J.D. Seelam, V. Hanumantha Rao, Girish Sanghi and Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, and Communist Party of India-Marxist member Penumalli Madhu.