TDP fields 3 candidates for Rajya Sabha polls on June 18
Synopsis
TDP has fielded a carefully balanced slate for the Rajya Sabha — a renominated loyalist, an educationist-entrepreneur, and the son of the Assembly Speaker — reflecting the party's caste calculus and its need to reward allies who held firm through years in opposition. With 135 assembly seats, the NDA sweep on 18 June is a foregone conclusion; the real story is who TDP chose to elevate and why.
Key Takeaways
Sana Satish , Bhashyam Ramakrishna , and Chintakayala Vijay filed TDP's Rajya Sabha nominations on 8 June in Amaravati.
Rajya Sabha elections for 4 Andhra Pradesh seats are scheduled for 18 June .
Under the NDA seat-sharing pact, TDP contests 3 seats and Jana Sena Party contests 1 seat ; JSP's Lingamaneni Ramesh filed his papers on Saturday.
The NDA holds 164 of 175 assembly seats (TDP 135, Jana Sena 21, BJP 8), virtually guaranteeing all four wins.
Vacancies arose from the retirement of 3 YSRCP members and TDP's own Sana Satish .
Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) three nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections filed their nomination papers on Monday, 8 June, before the returning officer at the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly in Amaravati. The candidates — Sana Satish, Bhashyam Ramakrishna, and Chintakayala Vijay — were accompanied by party leaders and workers. Prior to submitting their papers, the trio visited TDP's central office and paid tributes to party founder and late Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao.
The Three Candidates and Their Profiles
Sana Satish, a close associate of TDP national working president Nara Lokesh, is the only renominated candidate among the three. He was first sent to the Upper House on a truncated term roughly one-and-a-half years ago, following the resignation of Mopidevi Venkatramna of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in the by-election held in December 2024. A businessman-turned-politician from the Kapu community, Satish had aspired for a Lok Sabha ticket in 2024 but was not fielded.
Bhashyam Ramakrishna is a prominent educationist and entrepreneur who founded the Bhashyam group, a private educational network operating across both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He belongs to the Kamma community — the same caste as TDP national president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Ramakrishna had also sought a Lok Sabha ticket from Guntur in 2024 but was not nominated.
Chintakayala Vijay is the son of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu. A backward class leader from north coastal Andhra, Vijay is considered one of the younger faces close to Lokesh. He had been an aspirant for a Lok Sabha ticket from Anakapalli in 2024, but the seat was ceded to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seat-sharing arrangement.
NDA Seat-Sharing and Jana Sena's Candidate
Under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seat-sharing agreement among its Andhra Pradesh partners, the TDP is contesting three of the four available Rajya Sabha seats, while the fourth has been allocated to the Jana Sena Party (JSP). JSP's candidate Lingamaneni Ramesh filed his nomination papers on Saturday.
Elections for all four Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh are scheduled for 18 June. The vacancies arose due to the retirement of Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy, Nathwani Parimal, and Pilli Subhaschandra Bose — all of the YSRCP — along with TDP's Sana Satish.
What Chintakayala Vijay Said
Vijay, in a statement, said that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh 'have proven that those who stand by the party during difficult times are duly recognised.' He added that he would 'remain forever indebted' to both leaders for the opportunity. 'I will uphold the trust Mr Lokesh has placed in me and discharge the new responsibilities with dedication,' Vijay said, also extending gratitude on behalf of his family, which he noted has stood by the party since its inception.
NDA's Assured Sweep in the Upper House Vote
The NDA is widely expected to win all four seats, given its commanding majority in the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly. The TDP alone holds 135 seats, with allies Jana Sena and BJP contributing 21 and 8 seats respectively. The YSRCP, now in opposition, holds only 11 seats — far short of what is needed to mount a challenge.
With nominations in place and numbers firmly on the NDA's side, the 18 June vote is expected to be a formality, consolidating the alliance's presence in the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
Point of View
A Kamma educationist in Ramakrishna, and a backward-class youth face in Vijay — each slot calibrated to community arithmetic and internal reward. The outcome on 18 June is not in doubt; what matters is whether these three, especially the relatively inexperienced Vijay, can translate Upper House presence into legislative impact for Andhra Pradesh's statehood demands and bifurcation dues. The YSRCP's collapse to 11 seats means the real opposition in Rajya Sabha will have to come from outside the state.
NationPress
8 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are TDP's three Rajya Sabha candidates for the June 2025 elections?
TDP has nominated Sana Satish, Bhashyam Ramakrishna, and Chintakayala Vijay for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled on 18 June. All three filed their nomination papers on 8 June before the returning officer at the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly in Amaravati.
When are the Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections being held?
Elections for four Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh are scheduled for 18 June. The vacancies arose due to the retirement of three YSRCP members and TDP's Sana Satish.
What is the NDA seat-sharing arrangement for the Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha polls?
Under the NDA alliance agreement, TDP is contesting three of the four available seats, while the fourth has been allocated to Jana Sena Party. JSP's candidate Lingamaneni Ramesh filed his nomination on Saturday.
Is the NDA certain to win all four Rajya Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh?
Yes, the NDA is virtually certain to win all four seats. In the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly, TDP holds 135 seats, Jana Sena 21, and BJP 8 — a combined 164 seats — against YSRCP's 11, making the outcome a near-formality.
Who is Chintakayala Vijay and why was he nominated?
Chintakayala Vijay is the son of Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu and a backward class leader from north coastal Andhra. He is considered close to TDP working president Nara Lokesh and was nominated as a younger face, having missed out on a Lok Sabha ticket from Anakapalli in 2024 when the seat was allocated to BJP under the NDA arrangement.
