Ruling Telugu Desam Party has maintained its grip over the State by unanimously winning six of the nine seats of State legislative Council from local bodies constituencies as other candidates withdrew their nomination paper. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s son was expected to file his nomination for the Council seat from MlAs quota in a couple of days.
While on Friday was the last day of withdrawing nomination papers from the local bodies constituencies, the last day of filing nominations from the MlAs’ constituencies was March 7.
Now all eyes were on the three legislative Council seats in Kurnool, Nellore and Kadapa where the Telugu Desam will take on the main opposition YSR Congress.
The elections have assumed significance as the TDP was planning to utilize the occasion to bring Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s son and party general secretary Nara lokesh into the Upper House to facilitate his entry in to the cabinet. Party was likely to declare its candidates for two more seats in a couple of days. Nara lokesh was expected to file his nomination paper for Council seat from the MlAs quota.
The TDP candidates declared elected unanimously include Dora Babu (Chittoor), Chikkala Ramchandra Rao, A Ramamohan Rao and M Satyanarayana (East and West Godavari), Shatrucharla Vijayrama Raju (Srikakulam) and Deepak Reddy (Anantapur).
Deepak Reddy, son in law of TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy’s brother was declared elected after CPI leader Pyla Narasimhaiah withdrew his nomination. He had the support of the YSRCP of Jaganmohan Reddy. JC brothers, who have a strong clout over the district played an active role in persuading Naraimhaiah to withdraw his nomination.
In Godavari district also an independent candidate withdrew his nomination paving the way for unanimous election of three TDP candidates.
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