Cong to field Mallikarjun Kharge for Rajya Sabha?

There is talk within the Congress that veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge can be considered as its nominee for the December 12 bypoll to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.

The bypoll has been necessitated to fill up the vacancy created due to K C Ramamurthy’s resignation.

Kharge’s name came up for discussion as the Congress wants to “suitably accommodate him” following his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. Plus, the Congress would do well to have someone with his experience in Parliament.

However, Kharge’s nomination depends on the number game in the Legislative Assembly, which in turn depends on the outcome of the December 5 bypolls to 15 Assembly constituencies. If the Congress and the JD(S) win a majority of the seats in the bypolls, the two parties will have sufficient numbers in the Assembly to elect its nominee to the Rajya Sabha, provided they enter into an alliance of sorts.

Sources close to Kharge, however, said the veteran may not prefer Rajya Sabha “because he has always been elected directly by the people.”

Ramamurthy files papers

Former IPS officer K C Ramamurthy on Friday filed his nomination as the BJP’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypolls to fill up the vacancy from Karnataka created by his resignation last month.

Ramamurthy filed his nomination at the Karnataka Legislative Assembly secretariat accompanied by Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

When he was with the Congress, Ramamurthy was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 2016 and his term was to end June 30, 2022. Following his resignation, Ramamurthy joined the BJP.

The Rajya Sabha bypoll is scheduled for December 12. The last date to file nominations is December 2 and they will be scrutinised the next day. The last date to withdraw candidature is December 5.