Hyderabad, March 1 – Intense lobbying is underway within the ruling Congress party in Telangana for the two Rajya Sabha seats, with several senior leaders vying for the nominations.
While Congress is likely to re-nominate senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi to the Upper House, all eyes are on who the leadership will choose for the second seat.
Some veteran leaders have openly expressed their desire to be nominated to Rajya Sabha and are engaged in intense lobbying in the national capital.
The elections for the two Rajya Sabha seats from the state are scheduled for March 16.
The terms of sitting members Abhishek Manu Singhvi and KR Suresh Reddy will end on April 9, necessitating elections.
Suresh Reddy is currently the BRS Parliamentary Party leader, while Singhvi was elected to the seat as a Congress candidate in 2024, replacing K. Keshava Rao who resigned after joining the Congress party.
The ruling party has 66 MLAs in the 119-member Assembly, and the support of its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI), which has one MLA, and All India-Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which has seven MLAs, gives it a strong advantage in winning both seats.
Sources indicate that senior Supreme Court advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is likely to retain his seat with the backing of the Congress high command. Singhvi's legal expertise and articulate presence in Parliament are seen as key assets for the party at the national level.
However, the second seat has generated considerable interest within the State unit.
Veteran Congress leader Shyam Mohan Anantula, Chief Minister's advisor Vem Narender Reddy, former Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao, Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board, G Chinna Reddy, Former MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud, Chairman of the Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission, M Kodanda Reddy are among the aspirants.
Anantula, younger brother of Madan Mohan Anantula, who was a minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, is also seen as a strong contender.
Anantula, a veteran Congressman with over six decades of association with the party, is being discussed in party circles as a symbol of organizational loyalty and institutional memory. He participated in the 1960-61 All India Youth Congress convention addressed by Indira Gandhi and played a role in the 1969 Telangana movement.
Anantula, who is Vice-Chairman of the Telangana Congress Disciplinary Action Committee, has expressed confidence that the AICC will recognize his more than six decades of dedicated service to the party and consider him for nomination to the Rajya Sabha.
He told media in New Delhi that he remains committed to strengthening the party organization and advancing its ideological vision.
With March 5 being the last date for filing nominations, a decision on the candidates is likely in a couple of days.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is likely to discuss the issue with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, state Congress chief Mahesh Kumar Goud, and other top leaders during his visit to Telangana on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Vikarabad to attend a training programme for the newly appointed District Congress Committee presidents in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
