Election to the keenly contested four graduates and teachers’ constituencies in the Legislative Council will get under way and the fate of a couple of big leaders will be sealed in the ballot papers on Monday.
Among those in the fray are the former Chairman of the Upper House Basavaraj Horatti, who will be seeking a record victory and senior Congress leader Prakash Hukkeri.
The elections are being held for Karnataka West Teachers, Karnataka North West Teachers, Karnataka South Graduates’ and Karnataka North West Graduates’ constituencies as terms of Mr. Horatti, Arun Shahpur, K.T. Srikante Gowda and Hanumanth Nirani are coming to an end on July 4. Barring Mr. Gowda, the other three are back in the electoral fray as the Janata Dal (Secular) has replaced Mr. Gowda with former president of Karnataka Government Employees’ Association H.K. Ramu.
The outcome of the election will provide the ruling BJP, which got majority following the elections to seven seats in Legislative Council from the Assembly recently, further strength in terms of numbers in the 75-member Upper House.
While the ruling BJP is confident of wresting all the four seats and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has also exuded confidence of winning all the seats, the BJP is facing tough battle in South Graduates and Karnataka North West Teachers constituencies. Congress candidate Madhu Made Gowda is challenging the JD(S), which has fielded Mr. Ramu as its candidate in South Graduates while senior Congress leader Prakash Hukkeri is challenging the sitting BJP MLC Mr. Shahpur in Karnataka North West Teachers constituency.
Among the interesting poll outcome will be from Karnataka West Teachers constituency where Mr. Horatti is seeking a record eighth successive victory. Though Mr. Horatti had started his innings as an Independent candidate when he won the seat for the first time in 1980, he later shifted to Janata parivar. He, however, shifted allegiance to BJP and is testing the political waters on the saffron party ticket for the first time. It is being said that he shifted out of JD(S) in a bid to keep the post of Chairman in the council.
In the Karnataka North West Graduates constituency Hanumanth Nirani, brother of senior Lingayat leader and Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani is seeking re–election, and Congress candidate Sunil Sunk, a loyalist of Congress leader Satish Jharkiholi is challenging him.
BJP accuses Congress candidate of indulging in malpractices
BENGALURU
The BJP has alleged that the Congress candidate from Karnataka North West Teachers constituency Prakash Hukkeri has attempted to lure voters through money and has sought his suspension from the fray. In a release, BJP General Secretary N. Ravikumar alleged that about ₹17.4 lakh and ballot papers have been seized from a vehicle in Vijayapura while the money was being distributed to the voters. Election material belonging to Congress was also found in the car. “I urge that Mr. Hukkeri should be suspended from the election fray,” he said.
Mr. Hukkeri was not available for comment when The Hindu tried to contact him.
