Karnataka Rajya Sabha Polls: Setback For Samajwadi Party In Uttar Pradesh? Resort Politics In Karnataka

Karnataka MLAs are voting today to elect four Rajya Sabha MPs and the contest has turned interesting with the BJP-JDS fielding a fifth candidate against Congress. The JDS-BJP alliance has fielded multi-millionaire real estate baron D Kupendra Reddy. Reddy has declared Rs 1,200 crore assets in his election affidavit and is confident that he will get the votes to win the election.The ruling Congress has alleged that its MLAs are being blackmailed to vote for Kupendra Reddy. A Congress delegation filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Police Commissioner. In Karnataka, three Rajya Sabha MPs from the Congress and one from the BJP are retiring and the outcome after the elections will be the same. Ahead of the voting, SP MLA from Unchahar Manoj Kumar Pandey resigned from the party and is likely to meet CM Yogi Adityanath today.

45 Votes For Victory

The current political landscape in the Karnataka Assembly suggests a significant competition for Rajya Sabha seats. With the Congress assured of three seats and the BJP of one, the remaining dynamics become crucial for the candidates seeking election. In the 224-MLA Karnataka Assembly, each Rajya Sabha candidate must secure at least 45 votes to clinch a Rajya Sabha seat in the state. This implies a strategic need for alliances, negotiations, and garnering support from various quarters to reach the required threshold.

UPA vs NDA - Number Game

The Congress with 135 MLAs has the exact number to elect its three candidates, Ajay Maken, Nasir Hussain and G C Chandrashekhar while the BJP has 66 MLAs, which means it can easily get its main candidate, party worker Narayansa Bhandage, elected. Combined with the 19 JD(S) MLAs, the BJP-JDS second candidate Kupendra Reddy will need to get the support of three Independents and get at least three Congress MLAs to cross-vote if he wants to win.

Rajya Sabha Term

The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members. The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the MLAs in an indirect election through the system of proportional representation. They are mostly foregone conclusions, with elections being held unopposed and all party candidates sailing through.