Amidst political parties preparing to fight the Parliamentary polls, hectic parleys and lobbying is now expected to start in the Congress for four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka for which the Election Commission on Monday notified election dates. A total of 56 seats in Rajya Sabha across the country, including four in Karnataka, will go for elections on February 27.
Who retires
The four seats that are getting vacant after the expiry of six-year term are of Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar, and Congress members G.C. Chandrashekar, L. Hanumanthaiah, and Syed Naseer Hussein. The four members are retiring on April 2, 2024. The members of Karnataka Legislative Assembly will be electing the members to the Rajya Sabha.
The Congress with 135 members, and having support of three more members, including Darshan Puttanaiah of Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, and two Independents, is expected to retain the three seats from Karnataka while the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) with 66 and 19 members, respectively, will be able to win the fourth seat.
According to legislature secretariat sources, the quota will be 45 votes, that means each candidate has to get 45 votes to win. The quota is arrived at with the number of valid votes polled that is divided by number of seats to be filled, plus one. The quotient should be added with one and the fraction will be ignored, sources added.
Party sources said that it a likelihood that Syed Naseer Hussein, who is seen in the inner circle of Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge, will be renominated and another seat is likely to be given to a Vokkaliga candidate. G.C. Chandrashekar is also a Vokkaliga. Sources, however, said that there is a likelihood that L. Hanumanthaiah, a noted Dalit writer, may not be renominated. KPCC general secretary and chairman of Lohia Thinkers Forum M. Shivanna, a confidante of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is also among those lobbying for the nomination.
Caste calculations
Sources said: “Caste combination would come into play and the party has to make a balancing act. Since Sudham Das of the Dalit Left faction was made the MLC recently and Mr. Hanumanthaiah also belongs to the same faction, the latter’s renomination is not assured at this moment. It is likely that OBC candidates may also not get the third nomination since three Congress leaders belonging to OBCs were recently made MLCs. There is a possibility that the Congress could decide on fielding a Central leader to the third seat that it can win.”
BJP sources said that the decision on the seat has not yet been taken though Mr. Rajeev Chandrashekar is a Union Minister, and that a likelihood of springing a surprise like the last time when ordinary workers were nominated cannot be ruled out. Among others aspiring for the seat include former Minister V. Somanna and party’s chief spokesperson M.G. Mahesh, sources said.
Nominations filed
With the last date for filing nomination for the Bengaluru Teacher’s constituency in the Legislative Council being on Monday, former member Puttanna and advocate A.P. Ranganath filed their nominations as the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) candidates, respectively. The elections are set to be held on February 16. The Bengaluru Teacher’s constituency is the first election being held after the BJP and the JD(S) went into an electoral alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
