Congress picks Renuka Chowdhury, Anil Kumar Yadav

Hyderabad, Feb  (IANS) Senior leader and former union minister Renuka Chowdhury and young leader Anil Kumar Yadav are the Congress candidates for Rajya Sabha elections from Telangana. Both the leaders were aspirants for party tickets for Lok Sabha elections.

While Renuka Chowdhury had applied for ticket from Khammam constituency, Anil Kumar Yadav was a contender for ticket from Secunderabad. Renuka Chowdhury has thanked the Congress for nominating her.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Congress Party Leadership for nominating me to Rajya Sabha. Looking forward to representing the people with dedication and integrity. Let's work together In service to The Nation," she posted on 'X'.

This will be the fourth term for Renuka as Rajya Sabha member. She was earlier nominated to the upper House in 1986 and 1992 by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The Congress had nominated her to Rajya Sabha in 2012. She had served as minister of state for health and family welfare from 1987 to 1998 in the United Front government.

The firebrand leader quit TDP to join Congress in 1998. She was elected to Lok Sabha from Khammam in 1999 and 2004.

She was union minister of tourism (Independent charge) between 2004 and 2006 and union minister of women and child development between 2007 and 2009.

Renuka could not win Lok Sabha election from Khammam in 2009 and 2019.

She lost to Nama Nageswara Rao in both the elections.

She was keen to enter the fray once again from Khammam.

This time there are many aspirants for Congress ticket from Khammam.

They include Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka's wife Nandini Mallu, state minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy's brother Ponguleti Prasad Reddy, another minister Tummala Nageswara Rao's son Tummala Yugender, and former MP V. Hanumantha Rao.

Anil Kumar Yadav is the son of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president and former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav.

Anil, presently the District Congress Committee president of Secunderabad, had lost the Assembly election from Musheerabad constituency in 2018.

He was an aspirant for the party ticket from Secunderabad Assembly constituency in the recent elections but the party had fielded Adam Santosh Kumar.

Anjan Kumar Yadav was elected to Lok Sabha twice from Secunderabad in 2004 and 2009 but suffered defeat in 2014 and 2019.

He contested unsuccessfully from Musheerabad Assembly constituency in the recent polls.

With his son Anil Kumar now being sent to Rajya Sabha, the Congress may field a new face from Secunderabad. Elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Telangana are scheduled on February 27 as the term of J. Santosh Kumar. B. Lingaiah Yadav and Vaddiraju Ravichandra come to an end this year.

The Congress party, which has 64 members in 119-member Assembly, can easily win two seats.