BENGALURU: With just two weeks left for the Rajya Sabha elections, names of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar from BJP, M Mallikarjun Kharge from Congress and HD Deve Gowda from JDS are doing the rounds. Elections to four RS seats in the State will be held on June 19, and June 9 is the last date to file nominations. Going by its strength in the assembly, BJP can win two RS seats, while Congress can win one and if Congress and JDS join hands, they can win the fourth seat.
While the BJP is yet to decide on the candidates, some leaders are said to be keen on electing Ananth Kumar’s wife Tejaswini as she was denied the Lok Sabha party ticket in 2019. “Tejaswini has charisma and good rapport with party leaders and workers. Some leaders want her to be more active,” said a source.
While some BJP leaders are said to be strongly backing RS member Prabhakar Kore’s re-election, there is also talk about senior leader and General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Muralidhar Rao’s candidature. However, the BJP core committee is yet to meet to discuss the candidates. Sources said the central leaders will take a decision in consultation with the state unit and CM B S Yediyurappa.
Deve Gowda’s name is being touted as a JDS-Congress alliance candidate. While JDS has 34 MLAs, it needs support from the Congress. Congress leaders are said to be keen on supporting Gowda. However, JDS leaders are said to be sceptical about an alliance as another defeat will be a major embarrassment for Gowda, who lost 2019 polls as JDS-Congress alliance candidate from Tumakuru.
From Congress, the buzz is around veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s name. He had lost the Lok Sabha election in 2019. The party, however, is yet to take a decision. To win a Rajya Sabha seat, each candidate needs 45 votes. The ruling BJP wants to increase its numbers and gain majority in the Upper House. The Congress, which is keen to support the JDS candidate in the RS polls, expects to get the regional party’s support in the Council elections. “The JDS, which has 34 members in the Assembly, may support Congress without fielding a candidate,’’ said a Congress source.