Hyderabad: Telangana Congress working president Jagga Reddy met Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Thursday and sought a Rajya Sabha nomination for senior leader V. Hanumantha Rao and Youth Congress leader Jetty Kusuma Kumar from Telangana.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Reddy said he had urged the party high command to consider both leaders for the two upcoming Rajya Sabha vacancies in the state. He added that he had earlier discussed the Rajya Sabha nomination issue with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan.
Reddy said he travelled to the national capital to meet Rahul Gandhi and Kharge regarding the Rajya Sabha nomination. However, Rahul Gandhi could not meet him due to prior engagements. Consequently, Reddy conveyed his request directly to the AICC chief.
Rajya Sabha nomination discussed amid upcoming vacancies
Highlighting the credentials of the aspirants, Reddy said Jetty Kusuma Kumar was a Youth Congress leader and a former student leader from the Kamma community. He also stated that Kumar belonged to a family of freedom fighters.
Referring to V. Hanumantha Rao, Reddy said the senior leader had served three terms as a Rajya Sabha MP. He added that Rao had worked with several Chief Ministers in the undivided Andhra Pradesh and in present-day Telangana. Moreover, he recalled that late Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had earlier given Rao opportunities to serve in Parliament.
The terms of 37 Rajya Sabha members from 10 states are set to end in April. The Election Commission has already issued a notification for the polls. The last date for filing nominations is March 5. Scrutiny will follow, and the final date for withdrawal is March 9. Polling is scheduled for March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm. The results will be declared on the same day.