Union minister of state for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh and five others have been unanimously elected to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh today.

The other elected were Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, V Hanumantha Rao and J D Seelam of the ruling Congress, Gundu Sudha Rani and Y Satyanarayana Choudary of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party.

Since none of the six candidates withdrew their nomination on the final day today, the returning officer and state Legislature secretary S Raja Sadaram formally declared them elected unopposed.

This is for the second consecutive term that Jairam Ramesh, a native of neighbouring Karnataka, has been elected to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.

Reddy, a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and Rao will be entering the Upper House of Parliament for the third term each. He was re-nominated by the Congress since he got only a 14-month term in the last election.

A backward class leader from Telangana region, Rao too managed to get a second consecutive term, given his loyalty to the Gandhi family. He had previously served a term in the Upper House in the early 1990s.

Seelam, a retired IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, too has been elected for the second successive term.

He lost the Lok Sabha election from his native Bapatla constituency in 1999 but succeeded in getting into Rajya Sabha in the Scheduled Castes quota in 2004.The same quota ensured his re-election this time.

The two TDP nominees will be making their debut in Rajya Sabha. These two seats are, in fact, a gain for the TDP as its tally in Rajya Sabha has now gone up to four.

Sudha Rani has been active in the TDP for many years now and is currently serving as its Warangal urban unit president. She is also a corporator in the Warangal Municipal Corporation.

Being a backward class leader and a woman from Telangana region helped her secure the Rajya Sabha seat.

A mechanical engineer, Choudary is a businessman heading the Hyderabad-based Sujana Group.He has lent financial support to the TDP besides being its fund-raiser for the past few years, thus winning the confidence of party president N Chandrababu Naidu.

Choudary has, hence, been rewarded with a seat in the Elders? House despite being a political novice.