Amaravati, Dec 10 (IANS): The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has announced Beedha Masthan Rao and Sana Satish as its candidates for bye-elections to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
TDP president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu cleared the names of Masthan Rao and Satish, a day before the nominations are to end for December 20 bye-elections to three seats.
The TDP has left one seat to its ally BJP, which has decided to field R. Krishnaiah, a backward-class leader who hails from Telangana.
The vacancies were caused by the recent resignations of Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao, Masthan Rao Yadav and Krishnaiah, all of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
While Mopidevi and Matshan Rao joined the TDP after resigning from the YSRCP in August, Krishnaiah announced that he would work to strengthen the backward class movement.
Mopidevi had his term up to June 21, 2026, while the term of the other two was to end on June 21, 2028.
Masthan Rao, an industrialist and Krishnaiah will return to Rajya Sabha while Satish, a businessman-turned-politician, will be making his debut as the MP.
Mastan Rao quit TDP to join YSRCP in 2019, a few months after YSRCP stormed to power. In 2022, Jagan Mohan Reddy rewarded Mastan Rao with the Rajya Sabha seat
Mastan Rao was elected MLA on the TDP ticket from Kavali in 2009 but lost the election in 2014. He contested unsuccessfully from Nellore Lok Sabha constituency on a TDP ticket in 2019.
The election of all three candidates of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed by TDP is likely to be unanimous going by its strength in the 175-member Assembly. The TDP has 135 members while its allies Jana Sena and BJP have 21 and 8 seats respectively.
The YSRCP, which lost power to the NDA in the elections held in May, has only 11 MLAs.
With the election of Masthan Rao and Satish, the TDP will re-enter the upper house of the Parliament.
The TDP had stayed away from Rajya Sabha elections held in February this year due to a lack of sufficient numbers in the Assembly. For the first time in its four-decade history, the TDP had no representation in Rajya Sabha.