BENGALURU: Continuing the tradition of keeping ticket aspirants in suspense till the eleventh hour for polls to Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council, Congress leaders are set to announce the names of candidates a day before the last date for filing nominations.
Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, and KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwar, met party president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Friday and discussed various options available for fielding party candidates.
Speaking to DC, a senior leader from New Delhi said: “Even though both Mr Siddaramaiah and Dr Parameshwar have held two rounds of talks with party general secretary, Digvijay Singh, on Thursday and Friday before meeting Mrs Gandhi, nothing has come through as yet. As of now, it seems the party would factor in castes and region before finalising any names.”
It was speculated that with infighting in Janata Dal (S) out in the open on the eve of polls, next month’s elections to Rajya Sabha would turn out to be an interesting affair.
In the 225-member Assembly (with no vote to nominated Anglo-Indian member), the number of votes required to win is pegged at 45. The Congress has a strength of 123 MLAs. The ruling party could ensure the victory of two candidates, and would be left with surplus 33 votes. It, however, would be short of 12 votes to snatch the third seat.
The Congress plans to field three candidates to bag three out of four seats with the support of rebel JD (S) legislators, nine independents as well as members of smaller parties. As JD (S), which has strength of 40 MLAs, is likely to field businessman B. M. Farooq, elections are certain to be held for Rajya Sabha on June 11. With 44 MLAs, the BJP is sure of winning one seat.
On Friday, the Congress reportedly decided to field veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes and former union minister Jairam Ramesh. The names of retired IPS officer K. C. Ramamurthy and P. R. Chennareddy, are doing the rounds for the third seat.
Meanwhile, the state unit of congress has to finalise candidates for seven seats of the Legislative Council for which elections would be held on June 10.
Trouble looms, JD(S) rebels cosy up to Congress
The tussle between the JD(S) leadership and party rebels, which encouraged the Congress to field a third candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls banking on the rebels’ support, has intensified with the rebels holding talks with AICC General Secretary Mr Digvijay Singh in Delhi. While the Congress can easily win 2 of the Upper House seats and the BJP one, the fourth seat is up for grabs.
In a bid to prevent the Congress from putting up a third candidate, JD(S) State President H.D. Kumaraswamy held a telephonic discussion with Congress leader Mr Ahmed Patel. However, party patriarch Mr H.D. Deve Gowda is said to have advised his son against holding a meeting with Congress leaders in New Delhi as it would send out a wrong message. On Friday, Chamarajpet JD(S) MLA Mr Zameer Ahmed Khan, who is leading the revolt against Mr Kumaraswamy, met Mr Digvijay Singh and explained to him how they could win a third Rajya Sabha seat of the four going to polls. Later in the evening, another round of talks is expected to take place in the presence of CM Siddaramaiah, who is camping in New Delhi for finalizing candidates for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls.
The JD(S) expects only 35 of the 40 party MLAs to stand by it during the polls. Besides, two independent MLAs and an expelled Congress MLA, Mr A.S. Patil Nadahalli are supporting the party. The JD(S) is also confident of getting two Congress votes, sources said.
Even if the JD(S) gets the support of these five MLAs, its tally may stop at 40 and the party may fall short by five or six votes with the magic number being 45. Sources said the party is trying to woo more Independent MLAs but Energy Minister Mr D.K. Shivakumar is maintaining a tight grip on them after the Congress decided to field a third candidate. On Friday morning, Mr Kumaraswamy in a last-ditch effort, held one more round of talks with Mr Ahmed Patel, who has reportedly promised to take up the issue with Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi. A clear picture is expected to emerge by Saturday evening, sources added.
