Rajya Sabha seats: CM Kiran pushing rebel candidates to withdraw?

With the last date for withdrawal of nominations ending on Friday, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and other AICC secretaries are making frantic efforts to get the rebels to withdraw from the contest.

AICC sectretariats tried to reach rebels- Congress MLC K.V. Chaitanya Raju and MLA Adala Prabhakar Reddy over the phone. Chaitanya Raju told AICC secretary Kutiya in no uncertain terms that he will not withdraw his nomination while Adala is not responding to any calls and even no one knows about his whereabouts.

The Congress High Command has entrusted the responsibility of persuading the rebels to withdraw their nominations to Kiran Kumar Reddy. The CM called Chaitanya Raju and asked him to meet him at the camp office.

Chaitanya Raju accompanied by Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Erasu Pratap Reddy who is said to have supported the latter's candidature met Kiran. Adala has gone hiding and not even responding to any calls, including that of the CM. The CM and other ministers are trying to reach him through his supporters.

The talk in the Congress circles is that both the independents might back off before 3 pm to avoid a contest.