The upcoming Rajya Sabha elections are turning into a major challenge for Jana Sena chief and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. The biggest topic of discussion within the party right now is who will be allotted the party’s first-ever Rajya Sabha seat. The schedule for the four Rajya Sabha seats that are set to fall vacant in June has already been released. All four seats are expected to go to the ruling alliance. Of these, three seats currently belong to YSRCP members, while one seat belongs to a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member. Since the YSRCP now has only eleven members in the Assembly, the party does not stand a chance of winning even a single seat. There is growing speculation that one seat out of the four will be allotted to Jana Sena, while the remaining three will go to TDP candidates. Reports in the media also suggest that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has already informed the BJP that the alliance may not be able to offer the party a Rajya Sabha seat this time.
For quite some time, there has been strong speculation that the Jana Sena quota seat could go to controversial businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh. It is even being said that Pawan Kalyan has already taken a decision on the matter. However, an important debate is now taking place within Jana Sena circles. Several leaders are questioning how a Rajya Sabha seat can be given to Lingamaneni Ramesh when he is not even a member of the party. Some leaders have now come up with a fresh argument. According to them, if Lingamaneni Ramesh is indeed nominated through Jana Sena as being widely speculated, he should be considered a joint candidate of both Jana Sena and TDP rather than a pure Jana Sena nominee. The reasoning behind this argument is that Lingamaneni Ramesh is known to share close relations with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu as well. After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu stayed at the Lingamaneni guest house located on the Krishna river bund road after shifting to Andhra Pradesh. At that time, former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao had alleged that the guest house was an illegal construction. The controversy created major political debate, and even today Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu continues to stay there.
In addition, Pawan Kalyan himself had publicly stated on one occasion that Lingamaneni Ramesh had provided land for his film shootings. There is also a campaign within Jana Sena circles that Lingamaneni Ramesh had offered land for the party office at a concessional rate. Considering all these factors, several Jana Sena leaders believe Lingamaneni Ramesh would be viewed more as a joint alliance candidate rather than a true Jana Sena representative. According to them, such a move may not send a positive message to the party cadre. Apart from Lingamaneni Ramesh, another businessman, Bandaru Narasimharao, has also reportedly entered the Jana Sena Rajya Sabha race. He too is believed to be close to Pawan Kalyan. In the past, his attempts to contest the Lok Sabha elections did not materialize, and he is now said to be seeking an opportunity this time. Sources within Jana Sena also claim that a prominent Tollywood producer is in the race as well. Party leaders believe that if Pawan Kalyan wants to avoid controversies, he may lean toward selecting the film producer instead.
The TDP Aspirants List Is Quite Long
The list of leaders aspiring for Rajya Sabha seats in TDP is reportedly very long. However, clarity is still awaited on whether the BJP will firmly demand another seat for itself or whether it will allow all three seats to go to TDP this time. Even though media reports claimed that Chandrababu Naidu had informed BJP state president Madhav and party leaders that no seat would be available this time, TDP insiders say the situation could change if Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally insist on a seat for the BJP. According to TDP leaders, Chandrababu Naidu may not be in a position to refuse such a request. Among the seats likely to go to TDP, many leaders believe one is almost certain to be allotted to Sana Satish, who is considered close to minister Nara Lokesh. For the remaining two seats, more than half a dozen serious contenders are reportedly in the race.
These include former MP Galla Jayadev, Bhashyam Ramakrishna, Kilari Rajesh, Kambhampati Ram Mohan Rao, and former Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Chairman M.A. Sharif. However, since Sana Satish, another close associate of Nara Lokesh, is expected to get a renewal, many party leaders believe Kilari Rajesh may miss out this time. Apart from these names, there is also speculation within TDP circles that a BC leader from the Rayalaseema region could emerge as a surprise choice. A senior leader stated that the alliance government is likely to take the final decision on Rajya Sabha candidates based on social and political equations.