TDP to finalise MLC picks as nomination deadline nears

VIJAYAWADA: With Monday (March 10) being the final day for filing nominations for Member of Legislative Council (MLC) seats under the MLAs quota, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is set to finalise its candidates on Sunday.

Four TDP MLCs — Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, P Ashok Babu, BT Naidu, and Duvvarapu Rama Rao — are scheduled to retire on March 29. Additionally, the seat vacated by Janga Krishna Murthy, who resigned from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and joined the TDP, has been vacant since May 14, 2024. The Election Commission has issued a notification to fill these five vacancies.

Of the five seats, Jana Sena Party (JSP) candidate Konidela Nagababu filed his nomination on Friday, while the TDP is yet to announce its candidates for the remaining four seats.

With the list of aspirants growing, TDP leaders have been lobbying before party supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and TDP general secretary and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, seeking an opportunity. This has reportedly made it challenging for the yellow party to finalise its picks. Sources in the TDP say the leadership is facing pressure from several leaders who sacrificed their Assembly seats to alliance partners, JSP and BJP, during the 2024 elections. Among them are SVSN Varma from Pithapuram and Devineni Umamaheswara Rao from Mylavaram, who are now vying for MLC posts.

Meanwhile, some of the outgoing MLCs have also requested the party leadership to retain their seats. Names of several leaders, including Beeda Ravichandra Yadav, Vaikuntam Prabhakar Chowdary, Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, Buddha Venkanna, Nagul Meera, Kommalapati Sridhar, Pithala Sujatha, and KS Jawahar, are circulating as potential candidates. In addition, several leaders who supported the party during challenging times are hopeful for an opportunity to enter the Legislative Council.

A senior TDP leader told TNIE that factors such as regional representation and caste balance are also being considered, further delaying the decision. With just one day remaining for filing nominations, anxiety among aspirants has reached its peak.