BENGALURU: Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday announced senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge as the party's candidate for Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka on June 19.
Kharge, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Gulbarga constituency, is now poised to be elected to the Upper House by the party legislators from the state.
The announcement comes after much dilly-dallying over candidature with senior leaders such as KH Muniyappa and Veerappa Moily - who also lost elections in their respective constituencies during Lok Sabha polls 2019 - had lobbied to be named as candidates.
Congress has 68 legislators in the Karnataka legislative assembly and can easily elect one candidate to the Rajya Sabha. With JDS requesting transfer of additional votes from the Congress to elect its patriarch HD Devegowda to the Upper House, Kharge will be Congress' only entry into the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. The BJP with its strength can elect 2 candidates.
Kharge is said to have been endorsed by newly-appointed Congress president DK Shivakumar and the party high command.