1. Rajya Sabha elections 2024 | Congress bags three seats, BJP one
Amidst fears of cross-voting, Congress won three seats and BJP one in the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka, that got under way in Bengaluru on February 27. Those who were elected to the Upper House are Ajay Maken, G.C. Chandrasekhar and Syed Naseer Hussain, all belonging to the Congress, while Narayansa K Bhandage was declared winner from the BJP.
While 45 votes were needed by each candidate to win, Mr. Maken, Mr. Hussein and Mr. Bhandage received 47 votes each while Mr. Chandrashekar received 45 votes. Mr. Reddy received 36 votes.
The Congress has 133 MLAs, excluding the Speaker, while the BJP and JD(S) have 66 and 19 legislators respectively, in the 223-member House. Others account for four. Totally, 222 members out of the total 223 (after death of Surpur MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik on Sunday), cast their votes in the election. Five candidates were in the fray for the four seats in the elections, including JD(S) contestant D Kupendra Reddy.
2. BJP confirms cross-voting by S.T. Somashekar in Karnataka
In a setback to the BJP-JD(S) alliance, saffron party MLA S.T. Somashekar voted for Congress candidate Ajay Maken while Yellapura MLA Arbail Shivaram Hebbar abstained from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections for four seats in Karnataka.
Somashekar and Hebbar, who are upset with the BJP, were seen getting closer with the Congress in recent months. The Karnataka BJP has said that it will file a complaint with Assembly Speaker UT Khadar against Mr. Somashekar for cross-voting and Mr. Hebbar for abstaining from voting in the polls.
3. KFD patient discharged from hospital in Udupi
A 58-year-old woman from Kundapura taluk, the lone Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) infected person so far in Udupi district, was discharged from a hospital on February 25 after recovering from the infection.
Udupi District Health and Family Welfare Officer Ishwarappa Gadad said the woman was given symptomatic treatment, including anti-viral drugs, that led to her recovery.
