Hyderabad: Congress High Command decision to nominate Renuka Chowdhury and Anil Kumar Yadav for the two Rajya Sabha seats has stumped senior Congress leaders vying for tickets.
Congress of late has been giving importance to leaders of frontal organisations like Congress Seva Dal, Indian Youth Congress, All India Mahila Congress, INTUC and NSUI in view of the exodus to other parties especially BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
While there wasn’t much ado about Renuka Chaudhary, but nomination of young Anil Kumar Yadav has shocked Congress men and women no ends
Even Anil Kumar Yadav, who was aspiring for Secunderabad Lok Sabha ticket, said he was pleasantly surprised at the nomination.
Surprised at party decision
“I never expected RS ticket in my life time. It clearly shows that Congress High Command recognised hardworking party men and women. I am a standing example. I got the nomination thanks to the hard work put on by Youth Congress,” Anil Kumar said.
Anil Kumar Yadav, a NSUI of leader has been nominated by the Congress as part of infusing young blood in the party.
AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal had issued a statement that AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge took the decision.
Don’t give ticket to outsiders
Sources in the Congress said a senior Congress leader from Hyderabad had written a letter to Congress High Command not to nominate outsiders like Ajay Maken etc., which were doing the rounds, for the RS tickets since it would send a wrong message and create unrest in Telangana Congress.
He requested the party to select any leader from Telangana only to send the right message.
Though there was a talk that Renuka Chaudhary might contest Khammam Lok Sabha constituency, but Delhi party bosses thought otherwise and sent her to RS.
A vociferous and firebrand leader who rose from being a Corporator on Telugu Desam party in MCH in 1986 to Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha member twice and later became a Union Minister. She lost to Nama Nageshwara Rao in Khammam Lok Sabha elections.
Renuka Chaudhary has been a vociferous supporter of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
Anil Kumar Yadav, presently Secunderabad DCC president, is son of Former Secunderabad MP Anjan Kumar Yadav and was president of State Youth Congress from 2015 to 2020. He contested in 2018 from Musheerabad Assembly constituency and lost. He failed to get ticket in 2023 as part of one ticket for one family policy.
Congress sources said Rahul Gandhi is keen to infuse young blood in the party in not only Telangana State, Andhra Pradesh but also in other parts of the country.
Fight for Khammam LS ticket
Interestingly, ticket to Renuka Chaudhary is also seen as clearing way for aspirants to Khammam Lok Sabha including Nandini Mallu, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponguleti Prasad Reddy, brother of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Tummala Yugender, son of Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, V Hanumantha Rao and others.
Congress will get two Rajya Sabha seats based on their strength and the elections will be unanimous.
Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, Balram Naik, K Jana Reddy, G Chinna Reddy, J Geetha Reddy, G Niranjan, former MP T Subbarami Reddy were among the many aspirants.
“Looks like they are Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s choices,” a senior Congress leader quipped at the nominations.
BRS re-nominated Vaddiraju Ravichandra as its RS candidate by BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao. Ravichandra, also called Gayatri Ravi, hails from BC Munuru Kapu community and is the founder of Gayatri Group of companies which is into mining, granite businesses.
Now, all eyes are on the Lok Sabha tickets in Congress since the party is in power.
