Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday claimed that he has information that former Chief Minister and JD (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy has been making offers to Congress MLAs to buy votes for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to be held on February 27.
Elections would be held for four seats. Congress has fielded three candidates, while BJP and JD (S) alliance have fielded two candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections. The surprise entry of the fifth candidate from Kupendra Reddy (JD-S) into the fray, one of the richest politicians in Karnataka with declared assets of over ₹ 870 crore, has set off talks of cross-voting.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “We are aware of who Mr. Kumaraswamy is making phone calls to, what he is speaking and what offers he is making. Our MLAs have given us all the information. We are aware of BJP’s game plan too.”
On whether Opposition parties are attempting to ensure cross-voting, Mr. Shivakumar said, “They would not have fielded a fifth candidate without rhyme or reason. They are obviously trying for cross-voting. We will know on the voting day.”
Asked if Congress was working on a counter strategy to secure votes for the Rajya Sabha elections, he said, “We don’t need it. People have elected 135 MLAs from Congress and two Independents are with us. We don’t need to talk about anything else at this point in time.”
Talking about his association with former Ministers S.T Somashekar and K. Gopalaiah, Mr. Shivakumar said, “I have a good personal bonding with both of them.”
Referring to some Karnataka Ministers refusing to contest the Lok Sabha elections, he said, “The party will decide who will contest the polls and everyone has to respect the decision. All of us have to work towards winning more seats for the party.”
