RS aspirants file papers by deadline

Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, JD Seelam, V Hanumantha Rao, Neduramalli  Janardhan Reddy, Sujana Chowdary and G Sudha Rani filed their nomination papers for Rajya Sabha on Saturday. While the ruling Congress has fielded four candidates, Sujana Chowdary and G  Sudha Rani are the two candidates from the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party.

Jairam Ramesh, V Hanumantha Rao,  Neduramalli Janardhan Reddy and JD  Seelam have been re-nominated. The TDP candidates Sujana Chowdary and G  Sudha Rani will contest the Upper House for the first time.

On the last day of filing of nominations, the four Congress candidates filed their papers before state legislature secretary and returning officer in the presence of Chief Minister K Rosaiah and other party leaders.

Sujana Chowdary and G Sudharani filed their nominations in the presence of TDP  leaders. The notable absentees among the TDP leaders were Kadiam Srihari and Yanamal Ramakrishnudu. There was a lot of resentment in the TDP circles over the choice of candidates for the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress High Command is understood to have taken the stand in the case of Andhra Pradesh not to renomonate those who lost the 2009 elections. Thus Renuka Chowdary, the firebrand woman Congress leader, was  tossed out of the race. On the other hand, the High Command kept its promise to re-nominate the sitting MP and former chief minister N Janardhan Reddy for a full six-year-term after he agreed against contesting the Lok Sabha elections from  Nellore.

Friday was the last day for filing nomination papers. If the nominations are found in order after scrutiny, they will be declared elected on June 14.

People were thronging the Assembly  premises in the morning to ensure that their leaders filed their papers. The traffic was held up near the Assembly for hours together as a large crowd turned up with their leaders at the time of  filing papers.