After a long wait, senior YSR Congress party leader and former MLA Marri Rajasekhar from Chilakaluripet assembly constituency in Palnadu district could get the party nomination for the MLC seat.
Rajasekhar’s name figures in the list of 18 candidates released by party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for the ensuing MLC elections. He has been given the safe option – under MLAs’ quota and he will get elected unopposed.
Along with Rajasekhar, the YSRC chief has cleared the name of Jayamangala Venkata Ramana, former MLA from Kaikaluru who defected from Telugu Desam Party to YSRC, for the MLC seat under MLAs’ quota.
Others who were cleared under this quota are: P V V Suryanarayana Raju, Pothula Sunitha, Kola Guruvulu, Bommi Israel and Yesu Ratnam. The chief minister also announced the names of nine candidates under local bodies’ quota and two under Governor’s quota.
Rajasekhar has been the unlucky leader of the YSRC for the last four years. He had sacrificed his MLA seat for Vidadala Rajini from Chilakaluripet in 2019 and was promised an MLC seat and a cabinet berth by Jagan.
Whenever the MLC elections are held in the state, Rajasekhar’s name came up for reckoning, but he never got the same due to various equations. But he did not lose his heart and continued to remain loyal to the party.
And his loyalty paid off now; as Jagan nominated him to the council at last. It remains to be seen whether he would get into the cabinet as promised by Jagan.