BENGALURU: With JD(S) said to be averse to teaming up with Congress for Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka scheduled for June 10, an understanding between BJP and the regional outfit is the most likely, sources suggest.
Elections were announced to fill 57 vacancies to the upper house of Parliament from 15 states, and the Karnataka legislative assembly will elect four members. While BJP can elect two members on its own and Congress one, a pact among the state’s rival parties is inevitable to elect the fourth candidate since neither party has enough votes to elect the fourth member on its own.
A candidate requires 46 MLA votes to secure a seat. BJP, with its 120 MLAs (plus two independents) is certain of winning two seats and will have 32 surplus votes, while Congress will be left with 23 extra votes after electing a lone candidate. JD(S), with 32 MLAs, therefore holds the key to the fourth seat.
JD(S) could join hands with BJP or Congress but the latter looks remote especially after the way in which their coalition government fell in 2019. Meanwhile, some functionaries, across the aisles, are trying to convince all three parties to support an independent candidate so that all four seats are filled without polling.
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2020 in this fashion. BJP and Congress did not field candidates against him.
The BJP though, is gung-ho on its prospects of bagging a third seat. “We can win another seat with the support of JD(S). Senior functionaries of both parties will soon have discussions,” said N Ravikumar, MLC and BJP state general secretary.
It is said JD(S) is open to sup porting a BJP candidate or fieldin g its own with the support of BJP. However, teaming up with BJP will leave it open to the danger of bein g labelled the ‘B’ team of the saffron party ahead of next year’s state elections. Should it support a candidate proposed by either of the national parties, JD(S) also faces the challenge of preventing cross voting from happening. It has at least 10 dissident MLAs in its ranks.
KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed and BJP national general secretary CT Ravi said their state units are ready to field an extra candidate but are awaiting a final call from the central leaderships in Delhi.
CM Ibrahim, state president of JD(S), said the issue will be discussed at a meeting later this week where party supremo Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy will weigh in. “We want to be pragmatic and careful in this regard,” said Ibrahim.
