Rajya Sabha polls: Intense competition between candidates

Team Udayavani, Mar 23, 2018, 11:02 AM IST

Bengaluru: A sharp challenge is on the cards for the Rajya Sabha elections today, particularly between Congress’ third candidate G C Chandrashekar and JD(S) candidate B M Farookh.

While the Congress is certain of help from the JD(S) rebel MLAs, it is anxious about cross-voting by its own particular legislators. Farookh is said to have moved toward six of the eight independents, looking for their help.

Individuals from the Legislative Assembly frame the Electoral College for the Rajya Sabha polls. A competitor requires around 44 votes to win the race. In the Assembly, the Congress has 123 MLAs and can without much of a stretch win two seats (its initial two candidates are Nasiz Ahmed and L Hanumanathaiah individually), yet will miss the mark regarding nine votes in favor of its third candidate (G C Chandrashekar).

The Congress is relying upon the seven JD(S) rebels and the help of B R Patil (KJP) and Ashok Kheny (who joined the Congress as of late) to compensate for the setback. With the Karnataka High Court not passing any requests on the PIL looking for disqualification of rebel JD(S) MLAs, they are probably going to practice their franchise.

The BJP, with 46 MLAs (counting the help of two BSR Congress legislators and one KJP member), can get its chosen one (Rajeev Chandrashekar) chose effortlessly.

Each of the three parties has issued whips to their MLAs. The JD(S) has only 30 MLAs on its side. In any case, the JD(S) is attempting to make it troublesome for the Congress. The JD(S) is learnt to be in contact with six independent MLAs – Sambhaji Lakshman Patil, Aravind Chandrakanth Patil, Satish Sail, Mankala Subba Vaidya, S N Subbareddy and G Manjunath. Another independent MLA Varthur Prakash hosts glided his own party.