Hyderabad, April 24: The Congress high command, after finalising its candidates to contest the May 7 Legislative Council elections from the local authority constituencies of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, has now focused its attention on the Rajya Sabha elections which are likely to be held next month.
The term of six MPs _ Union minister Jairam Ramesh, V Hanumantha Rao, JD Seelam, N Janardhan Reddy, Girish Sanghi (all Congress) and P Madhu (CPM) _ will come to an end on June 21.
The process to fill these seats will be completed by the end of May.
Of the six seats, the Congress has bright chances of winning at least three, going by its present strength in the Assembly _ 156 in a House of 294 MLAs.
To win the fourth seat it needs support from other parties (like MIM, PRP and three associate members). As of now, 41 votes of MLAs are required to win a Rajya Sabha seat. Earlier, 42 votes were needed to win a seat but the number has come down now as 12 seats are vacant (after the resignation of 10 TRS MLAs and one each of TDP and BJP). The TDP will be able to win two seats on its own.
It has 91 MLAs.
According to Congress sources, the leadership may offer another term to Janardhan Reddy and Seelam, a Dalit. In the case of members hailing from other states like Jairam Ramesh (Karnataka), this time the party may not consider them in view of the regional feelings. It may try to give representation to all the three regions this time. In case the party were to field an outsider, the choice might fall on Union minister Ambica Soni (Haryana) instead of Jairam Ramesh.
If the party wants to nominate a person from the backward classes, the choice obviously looks sitting MP V Hanumantha Rao or PCC president D Srinivas.
But their chances appear bleak since Rao has already served two terms and may find it difficult to get a third chance.
Srinivas, who lost the 2009 Assembly election from Nizamabad (Urban), he may be fielded in the byelection likely to be held in June or July.
Going by the decisions taken in the past by the high command, it will not be a surprise if the party throws up a new BC leader on the scene. It had, to the surprise of the cadre, offered Rajya Sabha ticket to trade union leader G Sanjeeva Reddy, made B Karthika Reddy the Greater Hyderabad mayor and offered MLC ticket to MS Prabhakar for the Hyderabad LAC seat.
–Agencies