The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Sunday announced its secretary general K Keshava Rao as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls. Keshava Rao, a former Congress leader, will have to get the support of his parent party among others, if he’s to win.
He is likely to file his nomination papers either Monday or the day after. The TRS move came even as the Congress is in the process of finalising its candidates for the RS polls. Whether the party will field three or four candidates in the poll fray will be clear Monday, according to PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana. Three nominations would mean that the Congress may transfer its surplus votes to the TRS. The Congress Central leadership is brainstorming on the issue and the PCC chief was in Delhi recently for consultations. What makes it dicey for the Congress is the possibility, however remote, of its Seemandhra legislators supporting a rebel candidate. Against this backdrop, party State affairs incharge Digvijaya Singh said there’s no guarantee that the party will renominate sitting members. Likely fresh faces are former IAS officer Koppula Raju, who is part of Rahul Gandhi’s team and PCC chief Botcha who fears defeat in the general elections.
Five Rajya Sabha members from the State are retiring and all are from the Congress. The sixth seat fell vacant following the resignation of TDP member N Harikrishna. The five retiring members are: MA Khan, T Subbirami Reddy, Nandi Yellaiah, T Ratna Bai and KVP Ramachandra Rao. TRS has fielded Rao as he could anchor the party in Delhi.