The opposition TDP is likely to field its candidate for the February 27th election to the Rajya Sabha. Three seats are falling vacant now and the ruling YSR Congress has all the strength to win all the three seats.
Three seats are falling vacant in Rajya Sabha with the retirement of BJP member C M Ramesh, TDP member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar and YSR Congress member Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy on April , 2024. The ruling YSR Congress has the numbers to wrest all the three seats unless any miracle happens.
However, the TDP plans to field its candidate once again banking completely on the dissent vote in the ruling YSR Congress. The TDP believes that there would be more than a dozen ruling party MLAs who are not happy with the party and would vote for the TDP in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Accordingly, the party is likely to field its senior leader and politburo member Varla Ramaiah as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections. Ramaiah contested the last Rajya Sabha elections on March 26, 2020, when the TDP had just 21 seats in the 175-member Assembly.
Two members of the party – Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan and Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthy – have by then defected to the ruling YSR Congress. With just 21 members on hand, the TDP contested the elections against the required strength of 43 members for four Rajya Sabha seats.
Now, the party would require 58 seats in the Assembly to contest the election to the three posts falling vacant on April 2, 2024. The actual strength of the TDP in the Assembly now had come down to 19. There are four rebel MLAs from the ruling YSR Congress, who are likely to vote for the TDP taking its strength to 23 members.
The TDP believes that more than a dozen MLAs from the ruling party would vote for the TDP in the Rajya Sabha elections. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had denied tickets to several sitting MLAs who are now up in arms against the party leadership. They are fuming at the party leadership for denying tickets to them.
The dissident MLAs are crying foul of the ticket denial and are set to vote against the party in the elections. Taking advantage of the situation, the TDP is likely to field Varla Ramaiah once again in the Rajya Sabha elections. It is to be seen what would happen if the TDP contests the elections again at this point of time.
