The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today re-nominated C M Ramesh, a businessman and party financier, and chose a surprise candidate, Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar, for elections to the two Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh. With this, the TDP put an end to speculation that it might field a third candidate, forcing an election on March 23. "As per the decision of our party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, we are announcing the candidature of C M Ramesh and Ravindra Kumar for the Rajya Sabha election," state TDP president K Kala Venkata Rao said in a release. Ramesh is currently a member of the Upper House representing neighbouring Telangana since the state bifurcation.
A noted lawyer, Ravindra Kumar is head of the TDP's legal cell. Filing of nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections ends tomorrow. The YSR Congress chose businessman Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy for the lone seat it could win and he has already filed his nomination. On its strength in the Assembly, the TDP could win at least two seats. In all, three seats from the state will fall vacant on April 2 with the retirement of incumbents K Chiranjeevi, Renuka Chowdary and T Devender Goud. The biennial election could now be a unanimous affair as the TDP will field only two candidates.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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