It is not first time that a non-local is elected from any State to Rajya Sabha. Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu was elected to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka and Rajasthan.
BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao was elected to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. Union Minister Suresh Prabhu is currently representing AP in Rajya Sabha.
Originally a Shiva Sena leader, Prabhu filed his nomination from AP two years ago backed by the then ruling TDP.
Even for Lok Sabha, non-local leaders are elected from different places. Indira Gandhi was elected from Medak, now in Telangana.
Mohammad Azharuddhin was elected to Lok Sabha from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. And so are many over the years. The list is too long and too old.
What is new is industrialist Parimal Nathwani filling nomination to Rajya Sabha from AP as the YSR Congress candidate.
Nathwani is a two-time Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand, elected with the support of the BJP. He is an independent MP now, set to retire on April 9.
Nathwani has the strong support of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. If Mukesh wants another term for Nathwani, certainly there would be parties and States giving him the offer and oblising. Nathwani could have contested again as Independent.
But what is new now is that Nathwani had to take the YSR Congress membership and contest the elections.
Nathwani, while being the MP for next six years, is guided by the YSR Congress whip and that is what the new age politics of Jaganmohan Reddy. He is free to lobby for the State but not free from the YSR Congress whip.