Nominations for RS polls close; numbers favour all 3 Cong candidates

With five candidates in the fray, a contest is on the cards on March 23 for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka.

Monday was the last day to file nominations, and three Congress candidates - Nasir Hussain, L Hanumanthaiah, G C Chandrashekar and one BJP candidate, Rajeev Chandrashekar, filed their papers in the presence of party leaders.

The JD(S) has stated that its candidate B M Farookh will contest the polls, even though it is short of numbers to win a seat. The ruling Congress, on the other hand, stuck to its stand and has fielded its third candidate. Scrutiny of nominations will happen on Tuesday and March 15 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

Members of the Legislative Assembly form the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha polls. A candidate requires about 44 votes to win the election. In the Assembly, the Congress has 123 MLAs and can easily win two seats, but will fall short of nine votes for its third candidate.

The Congress in banking on the seven JD(S) rebels and independent MLAs to make up for the shortfall. The Congress has declared that Hussain will be its first candidate, Hanumanathaiah its second and G C Chandrashekar its third candidate.

The BJP, with 46 MLAs (including the support of two BSR Congress  legislators and one KJP member) can get its nominee elected easily. The JD(S) has just 29 MLAs on its side.

Speaking to reporters, KPCC president G Parameshwara, who accompanied the party candidates at the time of filing their nominations, expressed confidence that all three of its nominees will emerge victorious. The stage has been set for the induction of the seven JD(S) into the Congress later this month, he said.

BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa has defended the renomination of sitting MP Rajeev Chandrashekar (Independent) as the party candidate.

Number game in Rajya Sabha polls Total seats: 4 Candidates in fray: 5 Number of votes required to win a seat: 44 Party strength Congress: 123 BJP: 43 JD(S): 37 (Including seven rebels who are likely to vote for Congress candidate) BSR: 3 (2 supporting BJP candidate and 1 Congress) KJP: 2 (1 supporting BJP and another supporting Congress) Independents: 8 Speaker: 1 Vacancies: 7

 

Rajeev joins BJP

Two-term MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar joined the BJP on Monday before filing his nomination papers as the party's official candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.

Chandrasekhar has made it to the Upper House of Parliament twice, first time in 2006 and then in 2012 as an Independent candidate.

He obtained the support of the BJP and the JD(S) on both occasions. This time, he is BJP's official candidate. He was recently appointed vice-chairman of the Kerala unit of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).