AP legislative council polls: YSRCP candidate files nomination

Backward classes leader Adireddy Appa Rao today filed his nomination as YSR Congress Party candidate for the election to Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council from the Assembly quota.
He is the second candidate to file nomination for the Council poll, slated for March 21, after Telangana Rashtra Samiti's Mahmood Ali who filed his papers two days ago.
In all, 10 seats in the 90-member Legislative Council are falling vacant on March 29 due to retirement of sitting members.
Nomination process for the election will end on Monday but the ruling Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party have not announced their candidates yet.

They are expected to announce their candidates either late tonight or tomorrow.
Given their respective strength in the 294-member Assembly, the Congress should win five seats and the Telugu Desam three but as things stand now they can comfortably bag only four and two seats, respectively.

In the event of election becoming inevitable, both the Congress and the TDP will face a tough time in winning the fifth and the third seat.
At least seven MLAs have deserted Congress while another rebelled against the leadership (Chief Minister).
TDP too is facing similar trouble with the rebels who joined the YSRC and the TRS. TDP is seeking the support of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, CPI, CPM and Lok Satta to win the third seat comfortably.

Interestingly, the YSRCP is also banking on the support of MIM though the latter hasn't yet committed to support anyone.
TRS, on the other hand, is pinning hopes on CPI and other "pro-Telangana" MLAs to win one seat on its own as it has only 17 members.
It needs at least another 12 to win the seat.