TDP may not back Venkaiah, Nirmala for Rajya Sabha

Hyderabad: With the special category status issue having triggered a cold war between alliance partners TDP and BJP in Andhra Pradesh in the recent weeks, the latter is contemplating nominating ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Nirmala Seetharaman to the Rajya Sabha from BJP-ruled states. The third term of Venkaiah Naidu, who is a sitting Upper House member from Karnataka, will come to an end in July while that of first term member Nirmala Seetharaman from AP in June. The BJP's original plan was to rely on the TDP to ensure that the urban development minister and minister of state for commerce, key functionaries of the NDA government at the Centre, are re-nominated from AP, where TDP is in a comfortable majority. Four vacancies will arise in AP in June of which the ruling party, based on its numbers in the assembly, can win three while the opposition YSR Congress can pocket the fourth seat.However, the recent war of words between the two alliance partners has given rise to doubts in the minds of the BJP leaders whether the TDP will be still willing to nominate the two BJP ministers from the residuary state. Sources said the TDP is upset with the recent statements of Union BJP ministers HP Choudhary and Jayant Sinha in Parliament ruling out special status for AP.Senior TDP leaders who met chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday to chalk out a political strategy to deal with the situation arising out of the BJP ministers' statements in Parliament are said to be strongly opposing nominating Venkaiah Naidu and Nirmala Seetharaman to the Upper House from the state. "We have not received money as promised by the Centre. The separate railway zone has not materialized, special status has been declined, the revenue deficit issue not been resolved, new capital Amaravati and Polavaram have received meagre funds and several other promises are yet to see the light of day," Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, party official spokesperson, told TOI.This being the situation, the BJP is now looking elsewhere to ensure that the two party ministers continue to be members of the Upper House. According to sources, three vacancies will arise in Madhya Pradesh, a BJP-ruled state, this May and that Venkaiah Naidu is being considered to be nominated from there. BJP members Madhav Dave, Chandan Mitra and Vijaylaxmi Sadho are slated to retire from MP and Venkaiah Naidu could be among the three to enter the Rajya Sabha from there. In the case of Nirmala Seetharaman, the BJP is still trying to accommodate her from the other BJP-ruled states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Of the two vacancies that will arise in Chhattisgarh in June this year, one is represented by Congress member Mohsina Kidwai and of the three that will arise in Rajasthan in July, one is held by Congress member Ashk Ali Tak. Seetharaman could be considered from either of these vacancies, the sources said.However, BJP sources said these are contingency measures and that it is still hopeful of the TDP nominating the two ministers from AP. "After all, it is in their interests that two Union ministers represent the residuary state," they said.