Jana Sena picks Vijayawada industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh for Rajya Sabha polls

Vijayawada: The Jana Sena Party (JSP) has decided to field industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh.The decision follows the NDA partners’ agreement to allocate one of the four vacant RS seats to Jana Sena, while the TDP will contest the remaining three.Ramesh, a prominent businessman from Vijayawada, has long been associated with Jana Sena president and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan. His name has been under consideration for several months, and eventually emerged as the party’s official nominee on Friday when Pawan Kalyan cleared his name.Party spokesperson and MLC Hariprasad said Ramesh has been associated with the JSP chief since 2015. He said Ramesh has remained loyal to the party even after its debacle in 2019 elections. “Party chief Pawan Kalyan took a bold decision to nominate Ramesh to Rajya Sabha despite pressures and challenges from different sections and leaders as he wanted to recognise the services of trusted leaders,” said Hariprasad.He said Ramesh, who will file his papers on Saturday, was drawn to Pawan Kalyan’s ideology and principles of putting the interests of the nation and state ahead of personal interests.The Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled for June 18, while June 8 is the last day for filing nomination. With the NDA enjoying a comfortable majority in the legislative assembly, all four alliance nominees are expected to secure victory without contest.The nomination of Ramesh is being viewed as a significant political move, which might also influence TDP’s candidate selection. Responding to Pawan Kalyan’s decision, Ramesh said he accepts the RS nomination as a responsibility and thanked the JSP chief for giving him the opportunity to serve the state and the people. “I will treat the Rajya Sabha membership not as a post. It is a responsibility. I will remain loyal to Jana Sena and Pawan Kalyan. I will raise the issues related to the people of AP in Parliament,” he said.