As the nomination process for filling two vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Telangana began on Thursday, intense lobbying has started among aspirants for party nominations.
Against this backdrop, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president and former MLA T Jayaprakash Reddy, popularly known as Jagga Reddy, has made an interesting suggestion to the Congress high command regarding the Rajya Sabha nominations.
Jagga Reddy met Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Friday and proposed that the party consider nominating one Kapu leader and one Kamma leader from Telangana.
He suggested the names of veteran leader V Hanumantha Rao from the Kapu community and Jetty Kusuma Kumar from the Kamma community, who has also served as a working president of the party.
Jagga Reddy said that V Hanumantha Rao has been a steadfast and loyal Congress leader for decades and has consistently stood by the party and the Gandhi family. Elevating him to the Rajya Sabha, he said, would send a positive message to party cadres.
He also highlighted the credentials of Jetty Kusuma Kumar, describing him as the son of a freedom fighter who rose through the ranks of the Youth Congress to hold key organisational positions.
Jagga Reddy added that Kusuma Kumar enjoys considerable support within the Kamma community and that his nomination would strengthen the party’s social and political outreach if he is sent to the Upper House.
The Congress leader said he has already conveyed these suggestions to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the party’s Telangana in-charge, Meenakshi Natarajan.
He clarified that there is no dissent within the state unit over the two Rajya Sabha seats and that the party would abide by whatever decision the high command takes.
The current Rajya Sabha members from Telangana — K. R. Suresh Reddy of the BRS and Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress — are set to complete their terms on April 9 this year. Elections will be held to fill these two seats.
There is also speculation that the Congress may renominate Abhishek Manu Singhvi for a second term and consider Vem Narender Reddy, a close aide of the Chief Minister, for the other seat.
