HYDERABAD: The three BRS MLCs, who were declared elected unopposed under the MLAs' quota took oath in the Legislative Council on Friday. Council chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy administered the oath to Deshapati Srinivas, Challa Venkatrami Reddy and K. Naveen Kumar.
Deputy chairman of the council Banda Prakash, ministers V. Prashanth Reddy, V. Srinivas Goud and S. Niranjan Reddy and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha and ruling party leaders were present.
Now that all vacant MLC seats under MLAs' quota have been filled, the focus has shifted to two MLC seats under the Governor's quota that will fall vacant on May 27.
The six-year tenure of BRS members under the Governor's quota, D. Rajeshwar Rao and Farooq Hussain, will end on May 27. Both represent minority categories.
The buzz in BRS circles is that party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao may nominate two replacements from the Christian and Muslim categories.
Notwithstanding the speculation, several aspirants are lobbying for a seat. Former minister Tummala Nageshwara Rao, former TSPSC chairman Ghanta Chakrapani, senior Dalit leader Mothkupalli Narasimhulu and former Sports Authority of Telangana State chairman Allipuram Venkateshwar Reddy are said to be the frontrunners.
The state Cabinet has to approve their candidature and refer the list to the Governor for approval.
In August 2021 when the cabinet approved the candidature of Padi Kaushik Reddy under the Governor’s quota, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan did not give her nod and kept the file pending for five months. It eventually led to a confrontation between the state government and the Governor. Finally, Rao nominated Kaushik Reddy under the MLAs' quota in December 2021.
It remains to be seen how the Governor would respond to the two MLC candidates approved by the State Cabinet this time in the wake of state government moving a petition in the Supreme Court against her on the issue of not granting approvals to ten Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly and Council last September and this month.
