YSRC finalises four candidates for Rajya Sabha

VIJAYAWADA: The ruling YSR Congress has finalised its candidates to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh. They are V. Vijayasai Reddy, S. Niranjan Reddy, Beeda Masthan Rao and R. Krishnaiah.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held meetings with party leaders before finalising the four names. Krishnaiah came to CM’s Camp Office on Tuesday to meet the CM and got an MP (Rajya Sabha) berth. He thanked the CM for doing him a favour.

Speaking to the media at the Tadepalii party office, he said “the love CM Jagan is showering on the Backward Classes” had never been shown by any other chief minister. “The BCs are the backbone of the state from the beginning and the YSRC government has been giving utmost priority to us,” he said.

Krishnaiah said YSRC will never indulge in sale of seats. “If so, how can a person like me make it to the portals of the Rajya Sabha?”

He said Jagan as CM has been doing justice to all sections of the people, particularly the SCs, STs, BCs and minorities.

Speaking to the media, YSRC parliamentary party leader Vijayasai Reddy said, “Thanks to CM Jagan for giving me a second chance. I will strive to fulfil the aspirations of the people and seek to protect the interests of the state.”

“Giving two BCs a chance to go to RS was a good decision and this is a testament to the CM Jagan's sincerity towards the BCs,“ he said.

Vijayasai Reddy said three of the six Rajya Sabha members from the state are from among the BCs. “While I'm retiring, the rest of them will be four. Two of the four now being elected are BCs. The YSRC strength would be nine in the Rajya Sabha by next month. Of these, five will be BCs.”

Profiles:

Beeda Masthan Rao:

The long wait for a berth in Rajya Sabha is over for former legislator Beeda Mastan Rao. The YSRC has nominated the former TD leader for a Rajya Sabha seat. Masthan Rao switched over to the YSR Congress from TD in 2019 soon after the Jagan-led party swept the elections. Rao’s entry into YSRC has hurt the TD in Nellore district.

A graduate in commerce (B.Com), Masthan Rao won the Kavali assembly seat with a TD ticket in 2009. He was defeated in 2004 when he contested from Allur and again in 2014 from Kavali. He had unsuccessfully contested the Nellore Lok Sabha seat with TD ticket in 2019 against YSRC’s Adala Prabhakar Reddy; and he later joined YSR Congress.

Vijayasai Reddy:

Vijayasai Reddy was renominated to the RS by the YSRC for the second time. A chartered accountant by profession, he belongs to Nellore district. He was unanimously elected on 22 June 2016 to the Rajya Sabha and completed his term on 21 June this year.

He has been vocal about several causes pertaining to Andhra Pradesh, including the Special Category Status, Polavaram project, and the privatisation of the Vizag Steel Plant, in the Rajya Sabha. In his capacity as a Member of Parliament, he has presented 10 private member bills in the Upper House.

Niranjana Reddy:

Niranjan Reddy is a senior advocate in the Supreme Court. He hails from an agricultural family from Nirmal town in Adilabad district. After completing law from the Symbiosis Law College in Pune in 1992, he started legal practice at the erstwhile AP High Court under senior advocates O. Manohar Reddy and K. Pratap Reddy. He also worked under Justice Muralidhar in the Supreme Court in 1994-95 and was designated a Senior Counsel in 2016. He represented several important cases and clients and was also the standing counsel for the Election Commission of India and the Medical Council of India. He has appeared as special senior counsel for the state of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in several matters.

R. Krishnaiah:

Senior BC welfare leader and two-time MLA, R. Krishnaiah is currently president of the national BC association. Krishnaiah belongs to Ralladugupalli in Moinpeta mandal in  Vikarabad district of Telangana. He holds a gold medal in MA, LLB, and an LLM.

A BC leader right from his college days, Krishnaiah has led several movements for the Backward Classes, the unemployed, and the SCs, STs, and other BCs.