All eyes on ‘Third’ seat

Hyderabad: Intense political lobbying and widespread speculation have gripped Telangana following intense interest over who will secure the coveted third Legislative Council seat under the Governor quota.

With Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy signaling that two of the three vacant seats are virtually set to be allocated to candidates from the Padmashali and Mudiraj backward communities, all political attention has shifted toward the unannounced third position.

Leaders representing Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Other Castes, and religious minorities are aggressively making representations to ensure their respective social groups gain representation in the state legislature.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy previously indicated that one Governor quota MLC seat would be given to the Padmashali community while hinting at another seat for the Mudiraj community.

Following these signals, aspirants from the Padmashali community, including Eravatri Anil, Sangishetty Jagadishwar Rao, Guduru Srinivas, Punna Kailash Netha, and Jakkani Anitha, stepped up their efforts. The name of Dr Pavithra Vani, daughter of legendary freedom fighter Konda Laxman Bapuji, is also circulating strongly for consideration. Similarly, key Mudiraj community leaders, including Neelam Madhu and M Sunitha Rao, are actively seeking the specific seat earmarked for their group.

However, because the Chief Minister has given no clear indication regarding the third seat, aspirants across other social spectrums are lobbying heavily. Prominent leaders from the Other Castes are making determined pushes for the position. Names being actively discussed include RTI Commissioners Boreddy Ayodya Reddy and PV Srinivas, Government Adviser for Protocol and Public Relations Harkara Venugopal Rao, Gundepalli Daya Sagar Rao, Pavan Malladi, TPCC vice-president T Kumar Rao, and TSAT chief executive officer Bodanapally Venugopal Reddy.

Speaking to The Hans India on condition of anonymity, one RTI commissioner from the OC community expressed optimistic expectation that the Chief Minister would allocate the final remaining vacancy to an OC candidate.

Scheduled Caste leaders are likewise mounting strong bids for the nomination, with SA Sampath Kumar, S Indira, Dommata Sambaiah, Arepally Mohan, Manavatha Rai, and Charagonda Venkatesh emerging as potential contenders. Among Scheduled Tribe leaders, Bellaiah Naik is actively pursuing the legislative appointment. Should the Congress leadership decide to grant the third seat to another Backward Class group, several aspirants are in contention, including Sattu Mallesham, Chanagani Dayakar, Charan Kaushik Yadav, Lokesh Yadav, Gouri Sathish, Indira Shobhan, and Nerella Sharada.

Religious minorities are also lobbying for legislative recognition. Muslim community leaders Mohammad Feroz Khan, Fayeem Qureshi, and Obaidullah Kothwal are seeking party support, while Deepak John is pressing for consideration as a representative of Christian minorities. As political maneuvering intensifies across all camps, state Congress sources revealed Friday that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will finalize the nomination after high-level consultations with the party national leadership in New Delhi.

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Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty

Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty