(Image source from: Twitter.com/IPR_AP)

YSRCP Finalizes Three Candidates for AP MLC By-Elections:- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy finalized the names for the approaching MLC by-elections.

Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, minority leader Mohammed Iqbal and senior leader Challa Ramakrishna Reddy are the names that were announced.

YSRCP officially announced their candidates for the by-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council to fill up as many seats under the assembly quota in the poll, scheduled for August 26.

Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, former IPS officer Sheik Mohammad Iqbal, and former MLA Challa Ramakrishna Reddy were nominated as party’s candidates for the MLC by-election.

The YSRCP, which overpowers in Assembly with 151 MLAs in the assembly, could bag all three seats as the opposition Telugu Desam Party, with just 23 members, is staying away from the contest as they stand no chance of winning at least one.

The last day for filing nominations is August 14. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is August 19 and the date for polling is August 26.

Mopidevi Venkata Ramana set foot in the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy cabinet on June 8 despite losing the Assembly election from Repalle. He has now been nominated to the Council to fulfill the constitutional obligation.

Sheik Mohammad Iqbal l, too, unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Hindupur but YS Jagan kept his word and nominated the former to the Upper House of the state Legislature.

Challa Ramakrishna Reddy was a three-time MLA and sailed with the TDP after 2014. He joined the YSRCP days before the late general elections. Both Iqbal and Reddy hail from Kurnool district.

The three Council seats fell empty as the incumbents Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Karanam Balarama Krishna Murthy, and Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy stepped down from their posts upon their election to the assembly.

While the term of office of two of these three seats is till March 29, 2023, one seat is up to March 29, 2021. In consequence, the YSRCP will bag one extra seat in the 58-member Council through this by-election and its tally will go up to nine.

All three vacancies in the council are under MLA quota and by looking at the current strength of the YSRCP and lack of numbers in the Telugu Desam Party, it is evident that the three MLCs would be elected unanimously.

By Sowmya Sangam