Congress picks Singhvi, Vem Narender for RS seats

In a move seen as a significant boost for Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Congress central leadership on Wednesday night named his close aide and Advisor to the Government, Vem Narender Reddy, as one of its two candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections.

While outgoing MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi has been renominated from Telangana, Mr. Narender Reddy edged out several contenders to secure the second nomination.

A total of 16 names had been vetted and forwarded to the party high command for consideration. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister travelled to New Delhi and held discussions with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary K.C. Venugopal to finalise the contenders.

Once the leadership zeroed in on Mr. Narender Reddy and former MLA Dommata Sambaiah, who was a frontrunner from the Scheduled Caste community, the opinion of TPCC chief B. Mahesh Kumar Goud was sought over the phone. AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan was also consulted before the party ultimately chose to back Mr. Narender Reddy.

The selection of Mr. Narender Reddy, currently Advisor to the Chief Minister (Public Affairs), is being viewed within party circles as a strong endorsement of Mr. Revanth Reddy’s growing stature with the high command.

Party insiders also see the decision as a strategic step toward consolidating support within the Reddy community. In the previous Rajya Sabha elections, the party had overlooked Reddy leaders, opting instead for Anil Kumar Yadav, a BC leader, and former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhary.

Similarly, during the last two rounds of Cabinet expansion, Reddy legislators were not accommodated despite a strong push from within the community. Instead, the Congress inducted G. Vivek, Vakati Srihari, Adluri Laxman Kumar and Md. Azharuddin into the Cabinet.

Against this backdrop, Mr. Narender Reddy’s nomination is seen both as overdue recognition for the community and as an opportunity to place the Chief Minister’s trusted aide in the Upper House. It also serves as a reward for his loyalty having severed ties with the TDP to join the Congress in 2017 alongside Mr. Revanth Reddy.