Hyderabad, Aug 19: Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi officially filed his nomination on Monday as the party’s candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha bypoll from Telangana. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, alongside key ministerial colleagues and AICC in-charge of Telangana affairs, Deepa Das Munsi, accompanied Singhvi during the submission of his nomination at the state legislative assembly.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Telangana had endorsed Singhvi’s candidacy for the Rajya Sabha bypoll on Sunday night. Following a CLP meeting, Revanth Reddy, who also serves as the state Congress president, introduced Singhvi to Congress MLAs, MPs, and MLCs. Addressing the media, Reddy highlighted that Singhvi’s election would be crucial in bringing Telangana’s issues to the forefront, not just in Parliament but also in judicial courts, especially in light of ongoing disputes with neighboring Andhra Pradesh following the 2014 bifurcation.
Singhvi expressed his gratitude for being chosen as the party’s candidate, acknowledging the honor of representing Telangana in the Rajya Sabha bypoll. This bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Congress leader K Keshava Rao from the Upper House after he left the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to join the Congress.
Rao had previously expressed confidence that the bypoll would proceed unanimously given the ruling Congress’s majority in the Telangana Legislative Assembly. The Congress currently holds 65 seats in the 119-member assembly, with additional support from about 10 BRS MLAs who have since joined Congress after the last assembly elections. The BRS has sought their disqualification in response.
The bypoll marks a significant political move, with Singhvi poised to play a pivotal role in representing Telangana’s interests both in Parliament and in legal matters.