The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been maintaining a low profile in the coalition government in Andhra Pradesh led by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is quietly pressuring him to allocate more Rajya Sabha seats to the party.
The BJP has already secured two of the four Rajya Sabha seats that fell vacant in the past year — one each for R Krishnaiah and Vaka Satyanarayana. Meanwhile, the Jana Sena Party is also demanding one Rajya Sabha seat.
In early 2026, another four Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh will become vacant. According to sources, the BJP is planning to stake claim to two of these.
Reportedly, the party intends to nominate Janata Dal (Secular) founder and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda for one of the seats from Andhra Pradesh.
In addition to Deve Gowda, the BJP is said to be considering nominating former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for the other seat.
The TDP is likely to support industrialist-turned-MP Sanna Satish for another term, while the Jana Sena Party is expected to field businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh, who is believed to have received a prior assurance.
These proposed nominations are aimed at balancing social and regional representation. However, last-minute changes in the candidate list cannot be ruled out.
Nationally, the 2026 Rajya Sabha elections will see 72 seats up for grabs.
High-profile retirements include leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge, Digvijaya Singh, and Shibu Soren.
In Telangana, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is expected to be re-nominated, while BRS member K R Suresh Reddy may be replaced - potentially by Kharge if the Congress decides to field him from Telangana.