Bengaluru: Sure of winning two of the four Rajya Sabha seats in next month's polls, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to aim for the third seat in case the ruling party registers a resounding victory in Lok Sabha polls.
In the biennial elections, the minimum number of votes required to win a seat is 45 in the 224-member Legislative Assembly. Sources in Congress said former external affairs minister S.M. Krishna and AICC general secretary B.K. Hariprasad, both set to retire next month, are likely to be re-nominated as candidates.
For the third seat, however, the party would be short by 13 votes but sources suggest that Mr. Siddaramaiah would go all out to secure these votes from independents if the party wins majority of 28 Lok Sabha seats at the end of counting of votes on May 16. "If the party gets 10 seats or less, then he might not take upon himself the daunting task of fielding a third candidate and ensuring his or her victory," the sources added.
The principal Opposition in the Assembly, BJP, would be in a position to win one Rajya Sabha seat while JD(S) would have to secure the support of at least five independents to ensure a victory for its candidate. There are more than ten independents and single-member parties in the House who could help either the third candidate of Congress or the lone JD (S) candidate win the Rajya Sabha seat, the sources added.
The biennial polls would be held to fill vacancies consequent on completion of the six-year term by Mr. Krishna, Mr. Hariprasad, Justice Rama Jois and Mr. Prabhakar Kore.
