Yanamala silently lobbies for MLC seat!

Former assembly speaker and Telugu Desam Party politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has emerged as a dark horse in the selection of MLC candidates from the party in the elections to legislative council scheduled to be held on March 21.
According to reports from the TDP camp, party president N Chandrababu Naidu finalised the names of Yanamala from East Godavari, former minister R Shyamanthakamani from Anantapur and prominent hotelier and former Wakf Board chairman Mohammad Saleem from Hyderabad for the MLC seats. While Yanamala represents the BC community, Shyamanthakamani belongs to SC category while Md Saleem is a minority candidate. Outgoing MLC and senior leader Dadi Veerabhadra Rao has been denied a second opportunity. The names are likely to be officially announced on Sunday morning.
While there was no surprise in the selection of Shyamanthakamani and Mohammad Saleem, the selection of Yanamala has raised many an eyebrow. In fact, Yanamala was never in the race for the MLC seats and at one stage, he declared that he would contest for Lok Sabha elections.
However, he is said to have done a silent lobbying with Naidu for the MLC seat, as he has little chances of getting elected to Lok Sabha and moreover, he does not have a good Lok Sabha constituency to fight. And being a senior, Naidu had to oblige Yanamala’s request, sources say