Singhvi, Vem Narender elected to RS unopposed

Hyderabad: Congress candidates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Telangana. Election officials announced their unanimous election on Monday evening after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended at 4 pm on March 9.

The officials later handed over the certificates of election at the Assembly premises. Vem Narender Reddy personally received the certificate, while advocate Surender collected the certificate on behalf of Abhishek Manu Singhvi as an authorised representative.

It may be recalled that on March 6, the election authorities rejected the nomination filed by an independent candidate, Sai, as it did not carry the required signatures of 10 MLAs.

Speaking to the media later, Vem Narender Reddy said he would raise issues related to Telangana in the Rajya Sabha and strive to put pressure on the Centre to resolve the state’s concerns.

He thanked Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjuna Kharge, KC Venugopal, Meenakshi Natarajan, TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, ministers and MLAs for giving him the opportunity to serve as a Rajya Sabha member. He also expressed gratitude to leaders of the CPI, AIMIM and party colleagues for their support.

Further, during an informal interaction, Narender Reddy said he had worked as a dedicated party worker to help bring the Congress to power in Telangana and would continue to do his best to help the party come to power at the Centre.

“I have always stayed away from controversies and have not made controversial comments during my political career.

There is a lot being said on social media about my friendship with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, but we are good friends and our bond is strong,” he said.

Meanwhile, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu congratulated Singhvi and Vem Narender Reddy on their unanimous election to the Rajya Sabha.

Sridhar Babu said the newly elected MPs would raise issues related to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and fight for the rights due to Telangana. “Both are experienced leaders who are well aware of public issues,” he added.