The Rajya Sabha elections for four seats from Karnataka, which has raised curiosity with the entry of a fifth candidate, will be held on Tuesday. Four members, including two Independents, are expected to extend their support to the ruling Congress in the elections. The winners will be declared in the evening.
Legislators in hotel
While the entry of Janata Dal (Secular) candidate D. Kupendra Reddy has made the elections to the fourth seat interesting, the Congress took no chance and herded its legislators to a hotel in Bengaluru on Monday evening. Barring Cabinet Ministers and senior legislators, most legislators have been put up in the hotel.
A total of 223 members of the Legislative Assembly will cast their votes in the open ballot system, where members have to show their voting preference to the polling agent nominated by the party.
Meanwhile, in a related development, former Minister and founder of the Karnataka Rajya Pragathi Paksha G. Janardhana Reddy, who was expected to extend his support to the JD(S) candidate, on Monday met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi.
Though he was tight-lipped over his moves, it has been speculated that he will support the Congress in the elections, as the polling agent appointed by him is from the Congress. Similarly, a man from the Congress has been appointed as the polling agent of Darshan Puttannaiah of the Sarvodaya Karnataka Party.
The other two Independents, Latha Mallikarjun representing Harappanahalli and K.H. Puttaswamy Gowda representing Gauribidanur, are expected to support the Congress, sources said.
The Congress sources said that the first-time legislators were briefed about the voting for the Rajya Sabha election during the Congress Legislative Party meeting on Monday night. Mr. Shivakumar said that a mock voting will be held to train its legislators, and all legislators will arrive at the Vidhana Soudha together. He also exuded confidence that there would not be any cross-voting.
Who is in the fray
The elections are being held as four members from Karnataka, G.C. Chandrashekhar, Syed Naseer Hussein and L. Hanumanthaiah (all from the Congress), and the BJP member and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrshekhar, are retiring on completion of their term.
Of the retiring members, the Congress has re-nominated Mr. Chandrashekar and Mr. Hussein, and has fielded former Union Minister Ajay Maken. The BJP has denied ticket to Mr. Chandrshekhar and has nominated Narayanasa K. Bhandage.
While the Congress, whose numbers in the Assembly reduced to 134 members after the death of Shorapur MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik on Sunday, is expected to retain its three seats, the BJP with 66 members will also retain its seat. The JD(S) has 19 members, and the BJP is expected to transfer its additional votes to Mr. Kupendra Reddy after ensuring the victory of its candidate. Each candidate has to secure 45 votes as per a calculation to win.
Guessing game
The elections will be keenly watched for the moves of the BJP members and former Ministers S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, who have identified themselves with the Congress, and the JD(S) member Sharanagouda Kandakur who has distanced himself from the party after the JD(S) announced the electoral tie-up with the BJP.
On Monday, the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy held a meeting with the BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok, to strategise for the elections in which the JD(S) member is falling short by at least six votes. The JD(S) sources said that the members will be meeting at Mr. Ashok’s chamber before casting their votes. The BJP has decided to send their legislators in batches of three, sources said.
