Suresh Prabhu files nomination for Rajya Sabha from Andhra

Vijayawada, May 31: Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday filed his nomination for a Rajya Sabha seat from Andhra Pradesh as the TDP-BJP alliance candidate.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y Satyanarayana Chowdary and former state minister T G Venkatesh also filed their nominations as TDP candidates for two Rajya Sabha seats.

Accompanied by Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju, BJP's AP unit chief K Haribabu, state Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and Health Minister K Srinivas, Prabhu came to the Assembly and submitted his nomination papers to the returning officer and Legislature Secretary (in charge) K Satyanarayana Rao.

The TDP candidates paid homage to party founder president and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao and came to the Assembly in a rally in which general secretary Nara Lokesh, state ministers Palle Raghunatha Reddy, B Gopalakrishna Reddy and others took part.

They then submitted their nomination papers to the returning officer. While Chowdary is seeking an election to the Upper House of Parliament for a second straight term, Venkatesh is going to make his maiden entry.

Both are industrialists-turned-politicians. In all, four seats are to be filled from AP in the biennial election slated for June 11.

With its combined strength of 108 in the 176-member AP Assembly, the TDP-BJP combine can comfortably bag three seats while the Opposition YSRC can get one. On the opposition's behalf, YSRC general secretary V Vijaysai Reddy has already filed his nomination.

PTI