Karnataka Congress legislators, who were lodged at a private hotel in Bengaluru amid concerns of potential cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls for four seats, arrived at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru to cast their votes. This measure to house the MLAs in a hotel ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls was aimed at ensuring their unity. The legislators traveled together by bus to cast their votes.
In response to the Congress’ move, Karnataka Deputy LoP and BJP leader Arvind Bellad suggested that the ruling party of the state is uncertain about their votes. “We are confident of our votes, they (Congress) are doubtful of their votes and that is why they have kept their leaders in a resort,” Bellad remarked.
Regarding the ongoing elections, former Karnataka CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai commented, “Wait till 5 o’clock in the evening…”
Five candidates are contesting the election: Ajay Maken, Syed Nasir Hussain, and G C Chandrashekar of Congress, Narayansa Bhandage of the BJP, and D Kupendra Reddy of the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S). Reddy’s unexpected nomination forced the polls for one of the seats. Each candidate needs 45 votes to win.
JD(S) and BJP are considering the option of persuading Congress MLAs to cross-vote, as the NDA nominee, D Kupendra Reddy, is currently short of four votes.
Earlier, the Congress had raised concerns that MLAs were being pressured to vote for Kupendra Reddy, leading to a complaint filed by a Congress delegation with the Bengaluru Police Commissioner.
In Karnataka, three Congress MPs and one BJP MP are retiring, and the outcome after the elections will remain the same. As per the current numbers in the Karnataka Assembly, the Congress is assured of three seats, and the BJP of one.
Each Rajya Sabha candidate needs at least 45 votes in the 224-MLA Karnataka Assembly to secure a seat. The Congress, with 135 MLAs, has enough votes to elect its three candidates, while the BJP, with 66 MLAs, can easily secure the election of its candidate, Narayansa Bhandage.
Combined with the 19 JD(S) MLAs, the BJP-JD(S) candidate Kupendra Reddy will need to secure the support of three Independents and persuade at least three Congress MLAs to cross-vote if he wishes to win.
In the 2022 Rajya Sabha polls, cross-voting by two JD(S) MLAs led to the surprising defeat of Reddy, who was then a JD(S) candidate.
Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, commenced on Tuesday. While 50 members will retire on April 2, six will retire the following day. Currently, out of the 238 members of the Upper House, 109 belong to NDA parties, while 89 belong to parties in the INDIA alliance.
Rajya Sabha MPs serve a six-year term, with elections being held every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Presently, the Rajya Sabha has 245 members.
Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by MLAs through an indirect election using the system of proportional representation. Elections are often uncontested, with all party candidates winning.
This round of biennial elections will see 56 seats falling vacant. The BJP can secure 27 seats based on its numbers, and an additional seat with the support of the BJD in Odisha.