Known for his credibility in keeping up his promises, YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the names of candidates to be fielded for the MLC elections under MLAs’ quota.
YSRC leader and government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy announced that Jagan had finalised the names of six candidates for the six vacant seats in the legislative council, as he had promised in the past.
Jagan had kept up his promise by allotting MLC seats to Balli Kalyan Chakravarthy, son of former Tirupati MP Balli Durgaprasada Rao, who died of Covid-19 in September last.
Similarly, Challa Bhagiratha Reddy, son of former MLC Challa Ramakrishna Reddy who also died of Covid-19, has been given the party ticket for the MLC elections.
Another YSRC leader and former IPS officer Mohammad Iqbal, whose term as an MLC would be ending soon, has also been renominated as per the assurance given by Jagan in the past.
For another MLC seat, Jagan finalised the name of aggressive party leader from Tekkali Duvvada Srinivas, who had hitherto been party-incharge of Tekkali assembly constituency in Srikakulam district.
He had earlier contested for Srikakulam parliamentary seat and recently, he put up a stiff fight in the panchayat elections to defeat K Atchan Naidu’s cousin in Nimmada gram panchayat.
Another interesting candidate to get the YSRC ticket in the MLC elections is former minister C Ramachandraiah, who had been with Telugu Desam Party before defecting to Praja Rajyam Party and from there to the YSRC. He belongs to Kapu community and Jagan sought to appease this community by giving him MLC seat.
For the sixth MLC seat, Jagan has finalised outgoing Vijayawada corporator Kareemunnisa, under minorities and women’s quota.
“They would file their nominations soon,” Sajjala said.
The notification for the MLC elections was issued on Thursday and the elections would be held on March 15. Results would be declared on the same day.
The six seats in the legislative council have fallen vacant due to the completion of term of four MLCs, Mohd Iqbal, Tippe Swamy, Sandhya Rani and Veera Venkanna Chowdary, death of one MLC – Challa Ramakrishna Reddy and election of the sixth MLC Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose to Rajya Sabha.