By IANS,
Hyderabad : Telugu superstar K. Chiranjeevi and Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdary are among four candidates announced by the party Sunday night for biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
The party has also named senior Congress leader from Telangana P. Goverdhan Reddy as its candidate. However, the choice of journalist-turned-politician R. Anand Bhaskar has surprised all. Bhaskar is the party’s backward class leader from Telangana.
By nominating Chiranjeevi for the upper house of Parliament, the Congress party has rewarded him for merging his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with Congress. Currently a member of the state assembly, he is likely to be inducted in the union cabinet after his election to Rajya Sabha.
Ignoring the demand from a section of leaders from the Telangana region, the party leadership has not re-nominated senior leader K. Keshava Rao, who has retired along with Rashid Alvi, former union minister of state Dasari Narayana Rao and G. Sanjeeva Reddy.
Elections are scheduled to be held for six Rajya Sabha seats from the state on March 30.
Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu continued his consultations with party politburo members through Sunday to choose two candidates.