Karnataka Rajya Sabha results: BJP wins 3, JD(S) loses out as Cong wins fourth seat

The results of the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka were announced by the Election Commission (EC) on Friday, June 10, with the BJP winning three seats and the Congress winning one seat. The JD(S), which has been alleging cross-voting by JD(S) MLAs, could not secure a seat. Six candidates were in the fray in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state, necessitating a contest for the fourth seat. Despite not having the adequate number of votes to win the fourth seat from the state Assembly, all the three political parties — BJP, Congress and JD(S), had fielded candidates for the seat, forcing an election. 

The six candidates in the fray for the Rajya Sabha polls from the state were three from the BJP, former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and state general secretary Mansoor Ali Khan from the Congress, and former MP D Kupendra Reddy from the JD(S). 

BJP’s candidates secured three seats — Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-politician Jaggesh and BJP MLC Lehar Singh Siroya. While the Congress managed to send Jairam Ramesh to the Rajya Sabha, their second candidate, Mansoor Khan lost the elections. JD(S)'s sole candidate, Kupendra Reddy too could not make it to the Rajya Sabha.

The announcement of the results was delayed by a couple of hours after several complaints were filed by parties with the Election Commission. After the resolution of the complaints, the counting of votes began. 

Sitharaman and Ramesh sought re-election to the Upper House of Parliament for a consecutive term from the state. A candidate needs the support of 45 MLAs to win and based on their strength in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP can win two seats and the Congress one. After getting two Rajya Sabha candidates (Sitharaman and Jaggesh) elected on its own strength in the Assembly, the BJP will be left with an additional 32 MLA votes. The Congress was left with 25 MLA votes after electing Jairam Ramesh, while the JD(S) had only 32 MLAs, which was not sufficient to win a seat.

The fight for the fourth seat saw a direct contest between Siroya (BJP), Khan (Congress) and Reddy (JDS). While Siroya and Reddy are short of votes from 13 MLAs each, Khan will need 20. As this election has an open ballot system, every MLA (voter) will have to show his ballot paper to their designated party agents after choosing their preferences. Fearing cross-voting, all three political parties had issued a whip, asking their respective MLAs to vote for their candidates.

However, two JD(S) MLAs —- Srinivasa Gowda and SR Srinivas — cross-voted for the Congress party. The worry of ensuring that its numbers are intact and there is no cross-voting was greater for JD(S) and the party had last night shifted its MLAs to a hotel in the city. 

Ahead of the polls, top leaders of Congress and JD(S) tried to reach out to MLAs of each other's parties till the last moment, with talks between them to forge some kind of a formal understanding reaching a deadlock, as both parties firmly stuck to their stand.

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had made an offer to trade second preference votes with the Congress and to "start afresh" by forgetting the past between the two political parties, but the Congress made it clear to the regional party that it was now time for it to return a favour, pointing out that former PM H D Deve Gowda got elected to Rajya Sabha last time with its support in June 2020.

A day ahead of the polls, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday even wrote an open letter to JD(S) MLAs requesting them to cast their "conscience vote" in favour of his party's second candidate Khan, stating that his win will be a victory of "secular ideology" followed by both parties.

With PTI inputs