Chiranjeevi, Renuka, four others file papers for Rajya Sabha

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Telugu actor-turned-politician K. Chiranjeevi and Congress party spokesperson Renuka Chowdary were among six candidates from Andhra Pradesh who filed their nomination papers for March 30 biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha.

Chiranjeevi, Chowdary, senior leader P. Goverdhan Reddy and R. Anand Bhaskar filed their nominations as Congress candidates, while former minister T. Devender Goud and businessman C.M. Ramesh submitted their papers as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidates.

Monday was the last date for filing of nomination for the elections to six seats. With no other candidate entering the fray, the election of the six candidates will be a formality.

Except for Chowdary, all the candidates will be first-time members of the upper house of parliament.

Talking to reporters before filing his papers, Chiranjeevi said he considered his nomination as a responsibility.

"I will do my best to discharge the responsibility given by the party leadership," said Chiranjeevi, who has been rewarded for merging his Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) with Congress.

Chiranjeevi, who currently represents Tirupati in the state assembly, declared that none of his family members would contest the by-election from the temple town.

"It is a home coming for me," said Chowdary, who earlier served as a TDP member of the Rajya Sabha.

Chowdary, who like Goverdhan Reddy and Ananda Bhaskar hails from Telangana, had lost the Lok Sabha election from Khammam in 2009.

The Congress party had last night announced its candidates for Rajya Sabha. The nomination of Anand Bhaskar, a little known party functionary, came as a surprise.

TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu picked Devender Goud after marathon consultations with politburo members and despite opposition from a section of party leaders.

Goud, a backward class leader, had quit TDP over the Telangana issue in 2008 and floated a separate outfit. He merged his Nava Telangana Party with PRP before the 2009 elections. After the defeat in the elections, Goud returned to the TDP fold.

Naidu had already selected his aide and businessman C.M. Ramesh as the other candidate.

The vacancies arose due to the retirement of K. Keshava Rao, Rashid Alvi, Dasari Narayana Rao, G. Sanjeeva Reddy (all of Congress party), M.V. Mysoora Reddy (TDP) and Azeez Pasha (CPI).