Revanth meets RaGa, picks candidates for 2 MLC seats

Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and finalised the candidates for two MLC seats under MLAs quota and two seats under the governor’s quota.Though the meeting was mainly about Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra starting from Manipur on Sunday, a significant time was spent on discussing the issue of giving MLC seats and cabinet berths to “winnable candidates who sacrificed their seats for candidates who had better prospects than them” in the recent assembly election. Sources close to Revanth said the names of two candidates for MLC seats under the legislators quota were finalised and are likely to be formally announced late tonight or on Sunday.It was also decided to give posts of chairpersons of various corporations to those who cannot be accommodated in the upper house. The party high command has, in principle, decided not to give immediately any post to those who lost recent assembly elections but an exception is likely to be made in case of a minority candidate being given an MLC seat with the purpose of inducting him into the state cabinet. In this case, former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir and Feroz Khan are front-runners. The names of Zafar Javeed, Azmathullah Hussaini, Amer Ali Khan and Faheem Qureishi were also discussed. Other names discussed for MLC seat include former Union minister Balram Naik, former minister G Chinna Reddy, Addanki Dayakar, Mahesh Kumar Goud, Professor M Kodandaram, Nerella Sharada, Harkara Venugopal, Shivasena Reddy, Balmoori Venkat, Nuthi Srikanth Goud and Pritam. “A majority of these candidates are likely to get nominated posts of chairpersons of various corporations and only one or two may get MLC tickets,” a senior AICC leader said. The last date for filing of nominations for two MLC seats under MLAs quota is January 18. Rahul Gandhi will embark on the Bharat Nyay Yatra from Thoubal, Manipur on Sunday. Kharge will flag off the yatra and top party leaders, including Revanth, will be present at the event. The yatra will travel through 15 states, covering 6,713km and culminate in Mumbai on March 20.