As a dozen seats of the Legislative Council in Karnataka are falling vacant next month (June 17), senior and junior leaders of the Congress are vying for ticket to get elected to the Upper House of the State Legislature from the Legislative Assembly.
Leaders who have been denied ticket to contest the Legislative Assembly or the Lok Sabha elections have turned aspirants and those who joined the Congress on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections have been eyeing for a seat, sources in the Congress said.
Six BJP members, four from the Congress, and one JD(S) member are retiring this June 17. One seat is already vacant following the resignation of former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who switched sides and contested the Lok Sabha elections from Belagavi on the BJP ticket.
The Congress, which has a strength of 136 members in the Assembly, can ensure victory in eight of the 12 seats, while the BJP and the JD(S) can secure three and one seat, respectively.
Top contenders
Sources in the Congress said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra, who had vacated the Varuna constituency to his father in the 2023 Assembly elections, is the top contender for a ticket. Karadi Sanganna, MP, who quit the BJP and joined the Congress recently, and Karnataka NRI Forum deputy chairperson Arathi Krishna too have been lobbying for the seat.
Senior leaders, such as former Minister B.L. Shankar, V.R. Sudarshan, and Ivan D’Souza, too have been eyeing positions in the Council. These leaders have not contested elections in the recent past. A party functionary said the party is expected to re-nominate incumbent MLC and Minister N.S. Boseraju, MLCs Harish Kumar, K. Govindaraj, and Aravind Kumar Arali.
The party has reportedly promised a ticket to A.N. Nataraj Gowda, its visible face in the electronic media. There are close to 50 contenders and the party is likely to ensure a fair representation to all castes while nominating candidates, sources said.
Teachers’ and Graduates’ seats
Besides 12 seats, elections are scheduled to six Graduates’ and Teachers’ segments of the Council on June 3. Out of six, three candidates, who have changed party allegiance, have been given a tickets. The party has fielded Ayanur Manjunath (South-West Graduates’), who quit the BJP and joined the Congress, while Marithibbe Gowda (South Teachers’) quit the JD(S) during the Lok Sabha elections.
D.T. Srinivas, contesting from the South-East Teachers’ constituency, is the husband of former BJP MLA Poornima Srinivas. The couple joined the Congress in October, 2023. Other three Congress nominees in the fray are K.K. Manjunath (South West Teachers’), Ramoji Gowda (Bengaluru Graduates’) and Chandrashekara B. Patil (North East Graduates’).
In 2018, the BJP won three, the JD(S) two, and the Congress one seat in these elections.
Why significant
Elections to these 18 seats have assumed significance for the ruling Congress. Speaking to The Hindu, the government’s Chief Whip in the Council and KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed said: “The party is confident of winning all six seats and securing a majority in the Upper House in June.”
Victory in at least nine seats would help the party to secure a majority in the Upper House. Currently, the party has 29 members. The combined opposition the BJP and the JD(S) have decided to fight against the Congress in the Council polls.
MLCs retiring on June 17, 2024
Harish Kumar, K. Govindaraj, N.S. Boseraju, and Aravind Kumar Arali (all Congress); Tejaswini Gowda, K.P. Nanjundi, P.M. Muniraju Gowda, N. Ravi Kumar, S. Rudre Gowda and Raghunath Rao Malkapure (all BJP) and B.M. Farooq (JD-S)
