BJP names Backward leader Krishnaiah as RS candidate from Andhra Pradesh

Amaravati, Dec 9 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced Ryaga Krishnaiah, a leader from backward classes, as its candidate for Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.

Krishnaiah, who hails from Telangana but was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh on YSR Congress Party ticket in 2022, resigned in September.

Krishnaiah had stated that he resigned to focus on removing hurdles in strengthening the backward classes movement in Telangana.

The by-elections for three Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh are scheduled for December 20. The vacancies were caused by the recent resignations of Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, Beedha Masthan Rao Yadav and Ryaga Krishnaiah, all of the YSRCP.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which left one seat for its ally BJP, is likely to announce candidates for the remaining two seats later in the day.

The party headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu currently has no representation in the upper house of the Parliament.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed by TDP is sure to win all three seats going by its strength in the 175-member Assembly. The TDP has 135 members while its allies Jana Sena and BJP have 21 and 8 seats respectively.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which lost power to the NDA in the elections held in May, has only 11 MLAs.

Krishnaiah, president of the National BC Association, was the surprise choice of YSRCP, which had an overwhelming majority in the previous Assembly in Andhra Pradesh. His term was to end on June 21, 2028.

Krishnaiah was elected to Telangana Assembly from L. B. Nagar constituency in 2014 on a TDP ticket but switched loyalties for the Congress party on the eve of the 2018 elections.

In the 2018 Assembly elections in Telangana, he contested unsuccessfully on a Congress ticket from Miryalaguda constituency.

In 2019, he quit the Congress party and joined YSRCP at the invitation of Jagan Mohan Reddy.

After Krishna’s resignation, Congress MP Mallu Ravi had called on him and invited him to join the Congress party.