Hyderabad: The Election Commission on Thursday announced the schedule for the Rajya Sabha biennial poll for TS and AP states. As per the schedule, the polling date, to fill two vacancies from TS and four from AP, has been fixed for June 11 and the nomination process will begin from May 24.
As far as TS is concerned, the elections may be unanimous since the TRS officially has 81 MLAs (after considering the merger of BSP, TD and YSRC Legislature Parties) and another five Congress legislators having defected to it. Going by the numbers, the TS is sure to bag both the seats.
The names of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s close aide Divikonda Damodara Rao, (publisher of Telugu daily Namaste Telangana), contractor and newspaper owner C.L. Rajam, former minister Captain V. Laxmikantha Rao, retiring TD member Gundu Sudharani who has joined TRS are among those being floated for the two seats.
As far as AP is concerned, the ruling TD-BJP combine, with its present strength of 106 (including two Independents) can bag three seats while the Opposition YSR Congress, with 67 MLAs, can comfortably win the remaining one. However, as on Thursday, 17 YSRC MLAs had switched over to the TD and the buzz is that more will follow in the coming days.
TD leaders have openly said that they want to see the YSRC’s most likely candidate V. Vijay Sai Reddy defeated. For this to be a reality, at least 14 more YSRC MLAs need to cross over to the TD, since if the YSRC nominee gets even 37 votes, he will be declared elected in the first round of counting itself.
The TD plans to field one Independent candidate proposed by the YSRC rebel MLAs and mobilise the other YSRC MLAs to vote for the Independent. However, much depends on TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who will have to decide whether to field a fifth candidate or go for unanimous polling by opting to field only three candidates and leave the fourth for the YSRC.
As for the candidates, speculation is rife over sending TD senior Yanamala Ramakrishnudu to the RS and perhaps a Union Cabinet berth.
Voting pattern
A minimum of 10 electors (MLAs) have to propose the nomination of one candidate for the elections. This rule was brought to discourage non-serious candidates.
If polling becomes necessary, in order to get one candidate elected to Rajya Sabha, the Election Commission has laid down a pattern that total number of eligible voters (legislators) are divided by number of seats to be filled plus (+) 1 and add another 1 to the remainder.
For example, for RS polls in TS, there are 119 eligible voters and two seats are to be filled. As per the formula, each candidate should get 40 votes to get him elected in the first count itself. Similarly for AP, there are 175 elected MLAs and four seats are to be filled.
As per the formula each candidate should get 36.1 or say 37 votes for him to elected in the first count. To discourage cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls, the Constitution was amended in 2003 and the open ballot system was introduced; which is not common in any other election.
Accordingly, Section 59 of Representation of People's Act was amended and a new proviso was inserted. According to this, a voter, after marking his preference of votes on the ballot paper and before dropping the same in the ballot box, has to show it to the polling agent put up by his party candidate in the presence of the Returning Officer.
Issuance of Whip to the party legislators directing them to vote for a particular candidate put up by the party has no relevance as voting to the candidate /candidates is a matter of right of the legislator.
However, the respective party leadership which comes to know about the preferences marked by the legislator can only lodge a complaint (in case of cross voting) seeking disqualification of the legislator from the membership of the House under anti-party activity. This has to be decided by Speaker under 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
