Currently, Parimal Nathwani is an Independent MP from Jharkhand.
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is yet to take a call on Reliance Industries chairman Mukhesh Ambani’s “recommendation” for his company’s top functionary and current Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani for a second term from the state. Currently, Nathwani, who holds the post of President, Corporate Affairs in Reliance, is an Independent MP from Jharkhand.
There are four vacancies from Andhra Pradesh for which elections will be held on 23 March and as the ruling YSR Congress commands 152 out of 175 MLAs in the Assembly, the party can easily win all the seats. CM Jagan, who is also president of YSR Congress, is yet to take a decision on fielding candidates for the four seats. The last date for filing nominations is 13 March.
Sources close to the CM say that the names of the candidates would be announced either on 12 March, or the next day. Jagan, however, has promised Rajya Sabha seats to two of his senior ministers—Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose and Mopidevi Venkata Ramana—as they would be losing their MLC posts as the Legislative Council is going to be abolished.
A resolution recommending abolition of the council has been passed by the Assembly two months ago and is now pending before the Centre. Though the Council is in force till the Parliament passes the resolution and gets the presidential assent, Jagan is planning to get his ministers resign much before that and send them to Rajya Sabha. The two ministers had said that they would abide by the Chief Minister’s decision.
Jagan is yet to take a call on the remaining two RS seats—one of them is likely to go for his sister Y.S. Sharmila who actively took part in the padayatra and canvassed for the party in the elections. Another seat is still open and there are plenty of candidates in the race. Nathwani’s request for a Rajya Sabha berth from Andhra Pradesh has surprised all in political circles.
Mukhesh Ambani, accompanied by Nathwani, came to Amaravati on 29 February evening and met CM Jagan for the first time. There has been some bad blood between them since the untimely death of late Chief Minister and Jagan’s father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a chopper crash 11 years ago. Then, YSR Congress workers pelted stones at Reliance stores making wild allegations against the Ambanis, all of which proved to be completely untrue.
Reliance has been running its businesses in Andhra Pradesh as usual, but there was no direct contact between Ambani and Jagan till now. Many thought that Ambani’s visit to Andhra Pradesh had something to do with Reliance investments in the oil and gas sector in the Krishna-Godavari basin.
However, Nathwani himself had told the media later that he had come to Amaravati to seek Jagan’s support for his entry to Rajya Sabha as an Independent. The Rajya Sabha MP had confirmed that Ambani too had sought the help of the Chief Minister for his candidacy. However, Jagan is understood to have told the visitors that he needed some time to take a final call on their request.
There is no official information on Jagan’s mind on this issue, but senior leaders close to him shared their views with this newspaper that the Chief Minister would consider all aspects of Nathwani’s request before deciding on it. “Nathwani had been first elected to Rajya Sabha in 2008 from Jharkhand and re-elected for another term of six years in 2014, from the same state, with the BJP’s support,” said a YSR Congress leader.
Now that there is no chance of him getting a third term from Jharkhand, both Nathwani and Ambani had come to Andhra Pradesh seeking Jagan’s support. If Nathwani is sent to Rajya Sabha, Andhra Pradesh would benefit in a big way through Reliance in different sectors. Nathwani’s representation from Andhra Pradesh would send the right signals to the business class which is of late wary of investing in Andhra.
However, Nathwani’s nomination also might send wrong signals to the party cadre and common public who might think that the Rajya Sabha ticket was given to someone with money power. “This is a delicate issue and we are sure our CM will consider all angles and take a right decision,” said an aide to the CM. Even senior leaders are eagerly waiting for Jagan’s decision on this.