Karnataka: BJP to try for third Rajya Sabha seat with JD(S) support

BENGALURU: The ruling BJP in Karnataka, which can win two of the four Rajya Sabha seats that will fall vacant on June 30, is eyeing a third seat with the support of the JD(S).
Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka will be held on June 10 as the tenure of Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP Rajya Sabha member KC Ramamurthy and former Union minister Jairam Ramesh of Congress ends on June 4. The fourth seat fell vacant following the death of former Union minister Oscar Fernandes.
The BJP core committee, which met here on Saturday, decided to send a list of 4-5 names to the party central election committee. The BJP is contemplating fielding a JD(S)-backed candidate to help it win three of the four seats.
The state unit shortlisted the names of Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP state vice-president Nirmal Kumar Surana, Ramamurthy, and Lehar Singh Siroya to the central leadership with the rider that the third person will file the papers only if JD(S) agrees to support him. It’s also planning to recommend Lehar Singh or Lahari Velu, director of Lahari Music.
Party functionaries said they are likely to again field Ramamurthy, who defected from Congress and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 as the BJP’s third nominee, considering his equation with former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
There’s fear of JD(S) leaders cross-voting
It won’t be easy for the ruling party as there are several disgruntled MLAs in the JD(S) and they fear they may cross-vote in the event the BJP fields a third candidate and forces a contest.
In the Congress, former Union minister Jairam Ramesh is said to be the frontrunner. Rajya Sabha members are elected through an indirect election by elected members of the legislative assembly of that state, in accordance with proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
In the 224-member assembly, ruling BJP has 120 seats, while Congress and JD (S) have 69 and 32 seats, respectively. Two members are independents and one is from the BSP. Going by the numbers, all parties have some surplus votes as 45 votes are required to elect a Rajya Sabha member.
At the core committee meeting, it was also decided to rec ommend former chief minister BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra to the legislative council. The elections for seven MLC seats are being held on June 3. and another four seats (graduates and teachers) will be held on June 13.