Hyderabad: Chief Minister and TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao was said to have started an exercise to balance different communities in selection of three candidates for the ensuing Rajya Sabha biennial elections to be held in February end.
He already made an announcement a few days ago that he would field a leader from Yadava Backward Community. Sources in TRS said the Chief Minister was looking for a Muslim leader for the second seat. “Since the 12 per cent Muslim Reservation Bill may not be accepted by the Central government immediately to place it before Parliament, the Chief Minister is thinking of being prudent to select a Muslim leader to pacify the electorally strong community in Telangana,” said a source.
There would be three Rajya Sabha vacancies from Telangana this time from the normal two every two years. Biennial polls for the seats of C.M. Ramesh (Telugu Desam), Rap-olu Anand Bhaskar and the late Palvai Govar-dhana Reddy (Cong-ress) would be held.
The TRS had just one Rajya Sabha member (Dr K. Kesava Rao) before coming to power in 2014 June. In 2016, it was able to send two more — D. Srinivas and V. Laxmi Kantha Rao.
The filling of three vacancies this year would be the last opportunity for the ruling TRS to send its Rajya Sabha members before the next Assembly elections in 2019. With TRS having 80 per cent strength in the Assembly strength, all the three seats would go to the TRS.
Of the three present members, two are Munnuru Kapus and one is a Brahmin.
“With one seat for the coming polls already announced, the remaining two could see either the fielding of a Muslim and a Velama or a Reddy and a Velama,” said another source.
There were very few aspirants from the Muslim community and a few of them were given political posts. Though the Chief Minister did not give any firm commitment, former minister in the TD government, Uma Madhava Reddy, who joined the TRS recently was said to have made a request for a Rajya Sabha seat.
As far as Velama community was concerned, the name of Chief Minister’s close relative and TRS party leader Joginapally Santhosh Kumar was doing the rounds.
