VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam has upset ruling YSR Congress’s plan of getting its seven MLC nominees elected unanimously from the MLAs’ quota based on the overwhelming majority the ruling party has.
The TD has fielded Panchumarthi Anuradha as its candidate from the MLAs’ quota. As she is the eighth person to file nomination for the seven seats from the quota of MLAs, election has become inevitable.
Incidentally, for an MLC nominee to get elected, the person must receive 22 first preference votes. Telugu Desam had miserably lost the 2019 assembly elections, as only 23 of its candidates could get elected. But since then, four of the TD’s MLAs – Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan, Karanam Balaram, Maddali Giridhar and Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar – had crossed over to the YSRC.
The TD thus effectively has only 19 MLAs. Thus, there is no way for Anuradha to get elected from the MLAs quota. However, the opposition party has fielded her based on the assumption that once it issues a party whip, all MLAs who have been elected on its party ticket will have to vote for the party nominee. Otherwise, Telugu Desam can move Election Commission of India seeking their disqualification under the rules for disobeying the party whip.
Moreover, there are two YSRC MLAs – Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy – who have turned rebels.
TD politburo member and former home minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa has declared that Panchumarthi Anuradha is certain to win the MLAs’ quota MLC election. He maintained that 23 MLAs will have to vote for the Telugu Desam candidate as the party will be issuing a whip.
"Even if these four people do not vote for us, there are enough YSRC members who are unhappy with the ruling party and will vote for us. Many of them are even in touch with us,” the TD politburo member asserted.
If Anuradha remains in fray, polling for MLC elections from MLAs’ quota will become inevitable in the Assembly building on March 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Counting of votes will be held on the same day from 5 p.m.
