Ahead of Assembly polls the March 23 polls for Rajya Sabha from Karnataka is crucial for both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. Looking at the strength of the MLAs Congress is poised to get three and BJP one out of four seats for the Rajyasabha. The JDs which is expected to play a critical role in case of fractured mandate is locked horns with the ruling congress for one seat, has evoked political curiosity in the process of this election.

The four seats are vacant as the tenure of the four sitting MPs from the Karnataka Rahman Khan (Congress), Rajeev Chandrashekhar (independent), Basavaraj Patil and R. Ramakrishna (BJP) ends on April 2. Congress has 120 seats in the 224 member assembly and easily wins two seats. BJP with its 46 MLAs surely can win one. Each candidate needs 44 votes to win.

However, the fourth candidate—either from the Congress or the JD(S)—will have to rely on the surplus votes of others. Congress has only 32 votes for the third candidate and JDs is also has 32 votes for the same third candidate.

In the process all the parties have declared they would field their own candidates and both the JDs and the Congress are locking horn for the third candidate. JD(S), even though has 39 MLAs (following the death of one MLA), stands to lose seven more votes of its rebel MLAs, who are now with the Congress. JDs chief Kumaraswamy made it clear that Congress should help his party by giving extra votes to make his party candidate secure. This is politically very significant as the State is going to polls in just two months time. But Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who has asserted politically has made it clear that his party will field third candidate and there is no possibility of any truck with the JDs. Seven JD(S) rebel MLAs led by Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan will be supporting the Congress nominee and two other independent MLAs—Bidar MLA Ashok Kheny and B Kudligi MLA B. Nagendra have joined Congress.

Siddaramaiah ruled out any truck with JDs and said he was confident of winning the third seat with the surplus votes of independents and dissident MLAs. JDs has declared industrialist B.M. Farookh a real estate developer, for the second time. Last time, Farookh, brother of sitting Congress MLA B.A. Mohiuddin Bava, had lost to Congress nominee—K.C. Ramamurthy after eight JD(S) rebel MLAs cross-voted in the polls.

In 2016 the RS polls mired with lot of controversies where the ruling congress accused of poaching independent MLAs and JDs rebel legislators by promising them ‘constituency development funds’ worth Rs 100 crore each, in exchange for votes in the Rajya Sabha polls. Congress had denied all the allegations and said it had the strength to get the third candidate elected.

There a major exercise going on in all the three parties to select candidates and many names are doing rounds. Sitting MP Rahman Khan, who has been elected four times, is most likely to get a fifth term, though names of former minister A.H. Hindasgeri, former MLC Saleem Ahmed and minister R. Roshan Baig are being making rounds in the congress circles.

In BJP Rajeev Chandrashekhar’s name is doing round and also a dalit candidate for one post.

Meanwhile in Mysuru on Monday chief minister Siddaramaiah ruled out any truck with the JDs for Rajyasabha elections. The Chief Minister said he was leaving for New Delhi, where a decision will most likely be taken on Tuesday on the candidates to be fielded in the Rajyasabha polls from the State, scheduled to be held on March 23. Eom/blr