Both TDP and Jana Sena have finalised their candidates in the MLC by- elections from MLAs constituency. While TDP is fielding former minister C Ramachandraiah and Jana Sena is fielding its political secretary Pidugu Hari Prasad. Both of them will file their nominations on Tuesday.
The election commission notified elections to fill up two vacancies with the resignation of YCP MLC and former police officer Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal while resigning from YCP. Ramachandraiah, also an YCP MLC. Both of them joined TDP before elections and Council Chairman disqualified Ramachandraiah for changing the party.
As part of the political understanding reached between the TDP and the Janasena, they have decided to contest each one seat though both the seats belongs to TDP. As NDA is having 164 members in the assembly both of them likely to elect unopposed.
Ramachandraiah, a chartered accountant from Lakkireddypalle of Kadapa district, started his political carer in TDP. He was Kadapa MLA in 1985 and later elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was TDP Politburo member also. He joined Praja Rajyam Party in 2008 and with the merger of the party into Congress, he continued in that party.
In 2011 he became MLC and served as endowment minister in Kiran Kumar Reddy’s cabinet. Opposing bifurcation of the state resigning from the cabinet he joined YCP in 2018. Again he elected as MLC in March, 2021. But in January, 2024 he resigned from that party and joined TDP.
Hari Prasad, hails from Eluru was a senior journalist for over two and half decades. He worked with ETV, MAA TV and CVR Channels. After former of Jana Sena, he has been working as Political Secretary to its chief Pawan Kalyan, in addition to overseeing the media department of the party.