By IANS
Hyderabad : Union Minister of State for Mines T. Subbirami Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s friend K.V.P. Ramchandra Rao and former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao’s son N. Harikrishna were among six candidates who filed their nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha Saturday.
While the ruling Congress party has fielded five candidates, Harikrishna is the lone candidate from the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
T. Subbirami Reddy, Nandi Yellaiah, T. Ratnabai, M.A. Khan and K.V.P. Ramchandra Rao are the Congress candidates. Subbirami Reddy and Yellaiah have been re-nominated while others are contesting for the upper house for the first time.
The terms of Subbirami Reddy, Nandi Yellaiah and four TDP MPs A. Sudharshan, N.P. Durga, R. Chandrasekhara Reddy and Laljan Basha were to end in April.
On the last day of filing of nominations, the five Congress candidates filed their papers before state legislature secretary and returning officer Tuljanand Singh in the presence of the chief minister, ministers and other party leaders.
Ramchandra Rao resigned as the state government’s advisor before filing the nomination. The party announced his name along with that of Ratnabai. A close confidante of the chief minister, Ramchandra Rao has been playing a key role in the Congress government ever since the party came to power in 2004.
Earlier, Harikrishna filed his papers as TDP candidate. TDP can send only one member to Rajya Sabha, given its strength in the state assembly. TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu picked his brother-in-law and party founder N.T. Rama Rao’s son Harikrishna for the post.
Harikrishna, who had sided with Naidu when the latter revolted against NTR in 1995 and served as a minister in his government, had later quit the party following differences with Naidu. He retuned to the party fold in 2006.
Biennial elections to 56 Rajya Sabha seats are being held March 26. Andhra Pradesh may send the maximum number of Congress MPs to the upper house.
All Congress candidates from the state and the lone TDP candidate are likely to be declared elected unopposed March 18. The scrutiny of nominations will be completed March 17. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 18.
The Congress party has 190 members and TDP has 45 members in 294-member state assembly.