VH ramps up lobbying for Rajya Sabha seat

Hyderabad: Telangana Congress senior leader V Hanumantha Rao (VH) is intensifying his lobbying to secure a Rajya Sabha ticket under the BC quota. Sources say VH may travel to Delhi on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. In a recent meeting, he reportedly appealed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for support, and the CM is said to have responded positively.

Meanwhile, TPCC Working President T Jagga Reddy is already in Delhi, urging the party high command to allocate one Rajya Sabha seat to either VH or Jetti Kusuma Kumar.

On the other hand, key Telangana leaders, including CM A Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, and TPCC Chief B. Mahesh Kumar Reddy may fly to Delhi once invited by the party high command to finalise candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections on March 16. Sources suggest the high command may also take opinions over phone rather than in-person meetings.

According to tradition, Telangana leaders are likely to receive a call from the AICC Central Election Committee (CEC), the body responsible for finalising party candidates for Assembly, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha elections. If called, CM, DCM, AICC in-charge, TPCC chief and CEC member N Uttam Kumar Reddy would participate in the deliberations.

The official notification for the Rajya Sabha elections will be issued on February 26, with the last date for submitting nominations on March 5. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 6, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 9. The elections are scheduled for March 16.