TDP names Vijay, Ramakrishna, Satish for Rajya Sabha polls

The Telugu Desam Party has nominated Chintakayala Vijay, Bhashyam Ramakrishna and Sana Satish as its Rajya Sabha candidates. Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu issued B-Forms ahead of the June 18 elections under the NDA seat-sharing arrangement

Amaravati: The ruling TDP has nominated Chintakayala Vijay, Bhashyam Ramakrishna and sitting Rajya Sabha member Sana Satish as its candidates for the forthcoming RS elections.

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu handed over B-Forms to the three candidates in the presence of senior party leaders.

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“Chintakayala Vijay, Bhashyam Ramakrishna and Sana Satish received B-Forms from Naidu as the party’s Rajya Sabha candidates,” said an official press release late on Saturday.

Expressing gratitude, Vijay said Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh had proved that leaders and workers who stood by the party during difficult times would be recognised.

He said he would remain indebted to Naidu and Lokesh for giving him the opportunity to contest for the Rajya Sabha and pledged to discharge the responsibility with commitment.

According to his profile, Vijay is the TDP State General Secretary and a former president of Telugu Yuvatha in Andhra Pradesh.

He holds degrees in political management and governance from educational institutions in the United States and India.

Another Rajya Sabha nominee, Ramakrishna, is the chairman of a private educational group that runs institutions across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

As per the details released by the TDP, Ramakrishna has received several awards in the field of education and has undertaken philanthropic activities through a charitable trust.

The trust has contributed to educational scholarships, health camps, blood donation drives, annadanam programmes and disaster relief efforts in various parts of the country, the details said.

The ruling NDA alliance in Andhra Pradesh has decided that the TDP will contest three of the four upcoming Rajya Sabha seats from the state, while its ally Jana Sena will contest the remaining one seat.

Currently, the YSRCP holds seven Rajya Sabha seats, followed by the TDP with two seats.

These numbers are expected to change after the June 18 election.

In the Assembly, the TDP holds 135 seats, followed by Jana Sena with 21 and the BJP with 8, while the YSRCP has only 11 seats.