: The ruling YSR Congress on Monday announced three candidates for the by-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council to fill as many seats under the assembly quota in the poll, slated for August 26.
The YSRC nominated minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, former IPS officer Sheik Mohammad Iqbal and former MLA Challa Ramakrishna Reddy as its candidates for the MLC by-election.
Given its strength of 151 MLAs, the YSRC could bag all three seats as the opposition Telugu Desam Party, with just 23 members, is staying away from the contest as they stand no chance of winning at least one.
The last day for filing nominations is August 14.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is August 19 and the date for polling, if required, is August 26.
Ramana was inducted into the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy cabinet on June 8 despite losing the Assembly election from Repalle.
He has now been nominated to the Council to fulfill the constitutional obligation.
Iqbal, too, unsuccessfully contested the assembly election from Hindupur but Jagan kept his word and nominated the former to the Upper House of the state Legislature.
Ramakrishna Reddy was a three-time MLA and sailed with the TDP after 2014.
He joined the YSRC days before the recent general elections.
Both Iqbal and Reddy hail from Kurnool district.
The three Council seats fell vacant as the incumbents
Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Karanam Balarama Krishna Murthy and Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy resigned from their posts upon their election to the assembly.
While the tenure of two of these three seats is till March 29, 2023, one seat is up to March 29, 2021.
In effect, the YSRC will bag one extra seat in the 58-member Council through this by-election.
Its tally will go up to nine.
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