: The stage is all set for the unanimous election to the four vacancies of the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh with TDP president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu deciding not to field the party nominee for the fourth seat.
The TDP had nominated two candidates and gave one seat to Union Minister Suresh Prabhu representing the BJP, while YSR Congress general secretary V. Vijay Sai Reddy filed the nomination on behalf of his party. Though the leaders from Rayalaseema mounted pressure on Mr. Naidu to field the fourth candidate, he reportedly refused to budge.
Mr. Naidu is learnt to have told the leaders that the party had the strength to bag three seats on its own. Fielding a fourth candidate would send wrong signals outside and give scope for charges that the ruling party was indulging in horse-trading. Moreover, fielding the fourth nominee would make election for the post mandatory which was not warranted.
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The election authority would announce the results on June 3, the last date for withdrawal of the nominations.