TDP representation in RS set to end after March

In a historic turn of events for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the party will face an unprecedented absence in the Rajya Sabha after March 2024. The ruling YSRCP is poised to secure all three vacated Rajya Sabha seats, leveraging its dominance in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.
The decline of TDP has been gradual since Chandrababu Naidu assumed leadership from its revered founder, Dr. NT Rama Rao. This impending absence marks a significant setback for the party, symbolizing its diminishing influence in the upper house. With the total Rajya Sabha membership capped at fewer than 250, the current count stands at 245, with 233 members elected by state legislators and 12 nominated by the President. Notably, the state quota accounts for 11 members.
Ahead of the 2019 elections, YSRCP held two seats while TDP held nine in the Rajya Sabha. However, the landscape shifted dramatically in the 2019 state elections, with YSRCP securing a commanding victory, clinching 151 legislative seats with a staggering 50 per cent of the votes, relegating TDP to a mere 23 seats and a resounding defeat.
In a strategic manoeuvre to counter the ruling BJP at the Centre and navigate ongoing legal challenges, Chandrababu Naidu orchestrated the defection of Sujana Chaudhary, CM Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao, and TG Venkatesh – all elected to the Rajya Sabha under the TDP banner – to the BJP.
Consequently, the Election Commission conducted elections in 2020 to fill the vacancies left by the defections, resulting in three seats for TDP and one for YSRCP from the state quota.
With the terms of Vemireddy Prabhakara Reddy (YSRCP), CM Ramesh (BJP), and Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar (TDP) set to expire by April 2, the Election Commission is expected to issue a notification for elections to fill these vacant seats by the end of February or the first week of March. Given the numerical supremacy of YSRCP in the Legislative Assembly, these three positions are all but assured to bolster the party’s representation. This will elevate YSRCP’s tally in the Rajya Sabha to 11, securing all seats in the state quota and leaving TDP with no representation, effectively signalling its political eclipse.