BENGALURU: With uncertainty over the fate of seven rebel Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs continuing, Friday’s Rajya Sabha (RS) elections are likely to go right down to the wire.
With its current strength of 45 MLAs, BJP can ensure reelection of its candidate Rajeev Chandrashekar while Congress, with its strength of 123 members, in the assembly can comfortably get two of its candidates — L Hanumanthaiah and Syed Naseer Hussain — elected. Congress will be left with about 33 votes for its third candidate Chandreshekar.
The JD (S), excluding the rebels, has 30 members. Each candidate needs 44 votes to win. If the rebels are not allowed to vote, overall number of voters and votes required for ensuring the victory of each candidate will come down slightly. Even then, Congress will have an edge in numbers, but the JD(S) too can hope to pull off a victory by aggressively wooing the independents. The contest may then see a photo-finish.