BJP has selected a former municipal councillor Paka Venkata Satyanarayana as its candidate in the Rajya Sabha by-election from the state, for which the nominations are to be filed on the last day, Tuesday. This Rajya Sabha seat fell vacant in AP with the resignation of former YSRCP MP Vijayasai Reddy.
The Election Commission has issued a notification to fill this Rajya Sabha seat. Though the BJP is having only 8 MLAs in the state, the party high-command insisted on giving this seat for their candidate. Interestingly, names of high-profile leaders like Tamil Nadu former state president K Annamalai, former union minister Smriti Irani and former Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao have come to the fore for this seat.
However, the BJP leadership has selected Paka Venkata Satyanarayana as the candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat on behalf of the NDA alliance. Paka Venkata Satyanarayana from Bhimavaram previously served as a Bhimavaram councilor.
He is currently the president of the AP BJP Disciplinary Committee. Narasapuram MP Srinivasa Varma, who also hails from Bhimavaram is serving as union minister of state. And again, the party leadership has decided to give this city a chance for this city for Rajya Sabha seat. Particularly, party leaders from Rayalaseema, south coastal, North Andhra insisted for this seat, as mostly non-locals are getting positions from their districts.
It may be recalled Vijayasai Reddy resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat and also to his party, citing personal account. Though speculations were spread that he is likely to join BJP and seek the same seat to him or some of his nominees, later he refuted.
In this context, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu last week met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. On this occasion, there were reports that the name of MRPS founder president Manda Krishna Madiga’s name was also figured. Krishna Madiga, who has rapport with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, also met union minister G Kishan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu in New Delhi, making his claim for Rajya Sabha seat.