rajya sabha election schedule 2016, rajya sabha election process,

Triggering fierce competition for the Rajya Sabha nominations, Election Commission has announced the schedule for the next round of biennial elections for 57 vacancies in 24 states. The notifications for the election will be released on May 24 and nominations will be accepted till the end of the month. The polling is scheduled on June 11 and counting takes place same day.

The list of retiring members include stalwarts such as Venkaiah Naidu ( BJP, Karnataka), Jairam Ramesh (Cong. Andhra Pradesh), Nirmala Sitaraman ( BJP AP), YS Chowdary (TDP, AP), JD Seelam (Cong, AP), V Hanumathan Rao (Cong. Telangana) and Gundu Sudharani (TDP/TRS, Telangana).

Race will be more tougher and interesting in Andhra Pradesh as the elections will be held for four seats. As per the existing strength TDP is expected to win three seats while the opposition one. But given the volatility of the numbers, there is no guarantee that YSRCP could keep its flock together so that it could send one member to the Rajya Sabha. The talk in corridors of power is that TDP has plans to woo more members from YSRC to wrest the fourth seat also. Opposition leader Jaganmohan Reddy is reportedly favoring his auditor Vijaysai Reddy for the lone Rajya Sabha available for it. It is learnt that TDP is deploying an fatty industrialist into fray to take care of YSRC MLAs for the fourth seat.

As for TDP, it’s really a tough time for Naidu to accommodate too many aspirants in this round alone. As per convention, he has to set apart one seat for BJP and renomination of union commerce minister Nirmala Sitrama is most likely. There has been talk among the political circles is that Venkaiah Naidu is also an aspirant. Similarly, Telangana TDP, which has lost ground in the new state also wants one member from its ranks be nominated to Rajya Sabha in order reassure the party workers in Telangana that ‘headquarters’ has not left them in the lurch.

Prominent among the other aspirants are Kambhampati Rammohan Rao, now AP’s special representative at Andhra Bhavan, New Delhi, former minister Ramasubba Reddy (Jammalamadugu), Shilpa Mohan Reddy ( Nandyala), former minister TG Venkatesh ( Kurnool), Anam Ramanarayana Reddy (Nellore) etc. Party sources do rule out finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu’s chances of joining the race.