Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday had a crucial meeting with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary K.C. Venugopal to finalise the two candidates for the Rajya Sabha seats.
The central leadership has given the go-ahead to Mr. Singhvi to file his nomination papers tomorrow, which happens to be the last day of filing nominations. He has been retained and given another term.
The suspense was about the second name as the TPCC leadership had sent 16 names for considerations. Finally, the contest has narrowed down between Advisor to CM (Public Affairs) Vem Narender Reddy and former MLA Dommata Sambaiah from the Scheduled Caste community.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister travelled to New Delhi and held discussions with Mr.Kharge and Mr.Venugopal. Once the leadership zeroed in on Mr. Narender Reddy and former MLA Dommata Sambaiah, the opinion of TPCC chief B. Mahesh Kumar Goud was sought over the phone. AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan was also consulted before the party took a final decision.
If Mr. Narender Reddy is selected, it will be seen within party circles as a strong endorsement of Mr. Revanth Reddy’s growing stature and influence with the high command.
Party insiders opine that by pitching for a Reddy leader, that too a close aide of the Chief Minister, the party intends to consolidate its support of the Reddy community. In the previous Rajya Sabha elections, the party had overlooked Reddy leaders, opting instead for Anil Kumar Yadav, a BC leader, and former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhary.
Similarly, during the last two rounds of Cabinet expansion, Reddy legislators were not accommodated despite a strong push from within the community. Instead, the Congress inducted G. Vivek, Vakati Srihari, Adluri Laxman Kumar and Md. Azharuddin into the Cabinet.
Against this backdrop, if Mr. Narender Reddy is named as the candidate, it provides the Chief Minister an opportunity to place his trusted aide in the Upper House. It also serves as a reward for his loyalty having severed ties with the TDP to join the Congress in 2017 alongside Mr. Revanth Reddy.
A former MLA from Mahabubabad (2004) and a former TPCC vice-president during Mr. Revanth Reddy’s tenure as PCC chief, Mr. Narender Reddy has long been considered one of the CM’s key lieutenants.
In case Mr. Sambaiah pips others for the coveted seat, it would be justifying the growing demand that a SC leader from Madiga community should be given the ticket. An official announcement is likely to come late in the night.
Published – March 04, 2026 09:55 pm IST
