Elections are set to be held for two Rajya Sabha seats from Telangana, with the Election Commission announcing the schedule as the terms of Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K R Suresh Reddy near completion.
Based on its numerical strength in the state assembly, the ruling Congress is preparing to secure both seats.
The party is reportedly planning to renominate Abhishek Singhvi for one term and is considering fielding Justice B Sudarshan Reddy—who previously contested as a vice-presidential candidate—for the second seat.
At the same time, BRS chief and former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is said to be evaluating the possibility of fielding a party candidate in the Rajya Sabha race.
The BRS currently has 37 MLAs in the assembly, though around 10 of them are considered to be leaning towards the Congress. Among them, Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy is reportedly maintaining some distance from the Congress.
According to the present assembly strength, if all 119 eligible members cast their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections, the winning quota would be approximately 40.66 votes, meaning each candidate would require at least 41 votes to secure victory. A total of 82 votes would be needed to win both seats.
KCR’s decision on whether to field a candidate is being viewed as part of a broader political strategy. In Rajya Sabha elections, the party whip applies, and MLAs are required to show their marked ballots to authorised party agents, making cross-voting visible.
This could expose the stance of MLAs who have defected or shifted loyalties. Political observers say KCR may use the election to publicly identify such legislators, regardless of the final outcome.
If BJP’s eight MLAs abstain from voting, the quota could drop to around 38 votes per seat, requiring 76 votes for both seats.
The Congress, with 66 MLAs, along with seven AIMIM members and one CPI member, would have 74 votes—still short of the required number in either scenario.
In such a situation, second-preference votes and the elimination process would become crucial, increasing the importance of votes from defecting MLAs.
Sources suggest KCR’s strategy is two-fold: to attempt a Rajya Sabha win if feasible or, failing that, to use the election process to expose and politically corner defecting MLAs.
His final decision on whether to field a candidate is now being keenly awaited in political circles.