The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, 24 February, announced biennial elections to fill five vacancies each in the Legislative Councils of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
According to an official ECI release, the term of 10 MLCs will end on 29 March 2025. These seats are elected by Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of each state.
The ECI will issue the election notification on 3 March. The deadline for filing nominations is 10 March, and polling will take place on 20 March 2025.
Retiring MLCs
In Andhra Pradesh, the retiring MLCs are:
Duvvarapu Rama Rao (TDP),Paruchuri Ashok Babu (TDP), B Tirumala Naidu (TDP), Yanamala Rama Krishnudu (TDP), Janga Krishna Murthy (ex-YSRCP; vacant since 15 May 2024)
In Telangana, the retiring MLCs are:
Mohd Mahmood Ali (BRS), Satyavathi Rathod (BRS), Seri Subash Reddy (BRS),Mallesham Yegge (defected to Congress from BRS), Mirza Riyazul Hassan Effendi (AIMIM)
With these vacancies, the political spotlight is now on the race among aspirants vying for tickets to contest the elections in each state.
NDA likely to sweep contest in Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP-led NDA holds a commanding majority with 164 MLAs in the 175-member Assembly, ensuring that all five MLC seats will go to the coalition. However, the distribution of these seats among the coalition partners—TDP, Jana Sena, and BJP—remains unclear.
Speculation suggests that the TDP may retain two seats, allocate two to Jana Sena, and give one to the BJP.
The NDA faces a long list of aspirants. Among the leading names is Nagendra Babu, brother of actor and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who is being considered for one of the seats. His nomination and subsequent victory could pave the way for his inclusion in Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet, which currently has one vacancy.
TDP MLA SVSN Varma, who stepped aside from the Pithapuram seat for Pawan Kalyan during the 2024 elections, is another aspirant. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had reportedly promised Varma a legislative council berth at the time.
Similarly, former Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao is in the race after withdrawing from the contest in Mylavaram constituency in favour of a YSRCP turncoat who was given a TDP ticket at the last minute.
Congress faces tight contest in Telangana
Unlike the TDP’s dominance in Andhra Pradesh, the ruling Congress in Telangana does not have an overwhelming majority. It has 75 MLAs, including 10 defectors from BRS. The BRS has 28 MLAs, the BJP has eight, AIMIM has seven, and CPI (a Congress ally) has one.
As a result, the Congress is expected to secure three of the five MLC seats, while the remaining two are likely to go to the BRS.
Sources suggest that BRS supremo and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao may renominate Satyavathi Rathod and consider a BC (Backward Class) leader for the second seat.
Meanwhile, within the Congress, there is intense competition for the three available seats, with BC leaders demanding greater representation. They argue that BCs, who constitute 56.33 percent of Telangana’s population according to the state’s recent caste census, deserve at least two of the three seats.
Key Congress aspirants include former MLC T Jeevan Reddy, leader Addanki Dayakar, and Faheem Qureshi, Vice-Chairman of the Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS), who is seen as close to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Qureshi’s nomination to the council could also pave the way for his inclusion in the cabinet, which currently lacks representation from Muslim minorities.
Additionally, AIMIM is seeking to retain its lone seat. The party may want Congress to consider its request in exchange for its support in electing Congress nominees.
The Telangana Congress leadership, along with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, is expected to hold preliminary discussions with AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan before finalising the list for approval by the party high command.
