Surprises in TRS pick for six MLC seats

The ruling party selects P. Venkatarami Reddy, who quit as bureaucrat; renominates Srihari, Sukender Reddy

There were a couple of surprises, including sitting Rajya Sabha Member Banda Prakash and former cricketer Padi Kaushik Reddy, in the list of candidates picked by the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for six MLC seats certain to be retained unopposed in the MLAs’ quota.

However, as expected, TRS has also announced the candidature of P. Venkatarami Reddy, who on Monday resigned from service and as District Collector of Siddipet, the home district of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, among the names finalised for as many vacancies in the MLAs’ quota in the Legislative Council.

Other leaders who found favour with the TRS leadership for the MLC seats are former Chairman of the Legislative Council Gutha Sukender Reddy, former Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari, who are also the outgoing members in the same quota, and party leader Takkallapalli Ravinder Rao.