Choosing Rajya Sabha nominees a puzzle for BJP, Kharge's name pops up in Congress

Suspense continues in the ruling BJP on who it will pick as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with speculation rife that a ‘dark horse’ may emerge as one of them.

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

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

Several names are doing the rounds, which has caused a headache to the state BJP unit. The candidates are expected to be finalized in the BJP core committee meeting scheduled on June 6, and the list will be sent to the central leadership for clearance.

Banker K V Kamath, who earlier headed the ICICI Bank, is one of the several names doing the rounds in BJP circles. Tejaswini Ananthkumar, who was tipped to get the Bangalore South Lok Sabha ticket last year is another name the BJP is said to be considering.

Senior MLA Umesh Katti is mounting pressure to ensure a nomination for his brother Ramesh Katti even as incumbent Prabhakar Kore is seeking re-election to the upper house of the Parliament.

The names of RSS leader M Nagaraj and hotelier Prakash Shetty have also emerged.

MLAs will elect members of the Rajya Sabha and a candidate requires 45 votes. With 117 MLAs in a 223-member House, the BJP can ensure victory for two candidates. The Congress, with 68 MLAs, can win one. The JD(S), at 34, will need support if it wants to send someone to Rajya Sabha.

For the Congress, the choice could come down to either veteran Mallikarjun Kharge or incumbent Hariprasad. “Even Rajeev Gowda is seeking re-election, whereas former Tumkur MP Muddahanumegowda is reminding the party that he was promised a Rajya Sabha ticket for having given up his seat to the JD(S) in the Lok Sabha polls last year,” a leader said.

The JD(S) is likely to hold a meeting this week to discuss candidature in the Rajya Sabha polls. According to sources, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has not spoken about wanting to contest in the polls until now. "He himself has not expressed any such desire until now. But we are keen that he contests," a senior leader said. Meanwhile, there is speculation that the party is likely to ask the incumbent Kupendra Reddy to contest again.