BJP core panel zeroes in on three RS hopefuls

The BJP core committee on Saturday finalised three names for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. One of them is said to be Ramesh Katti, the brother of 8-time ‘disgruntled’ MLA Umesh Katti, who had been mounting pressure on the party.

According to sources, two other names - incumbent Prabhakar Kore and hotelier Prakash Shetty - will also be sent to the party’s central leadership.

The party was also considering RSS leader M Nagaraj and BJP vice-president Nirmal Kumar Surana, sources said.

The biennial elections will be held as the term of four incumbents - D Kupendra Reddy (JD-S), Prabhakar Kore (BJP), M V Rajeev Gowda and B K Hariprasad (both Congress) will end June 25.

The last date to file nominations is June 9 and elections will be held on June 19.

MLAs will elect members of the Rajya Sabha and a candidate requires 45 votes. The BJP, with 117 MLAs in a 223-member Assembly, can ensure victory for two candidates. So, the BJP central leadership is expected to finalise two candidates who will be fielded.

The Congress has already fielded veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, whereas the JD(S) is still undecided, but its MLAs want supremo H D Devegowda to contest.