Former PM HD Deve Gowda files nomination for Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka

Bengaluru, June 09: JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday filed his nomination as party's candidate for June 19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka. The former Prime Minister was accompanied by his sons former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and former Minister HD Revanna, state JD(S) chief HK Kumaraswamy and others, as he filed his papers at the office of Legislative Assembly.

On Monday, JD(S) had announced that the party chief would be contesting the Rajya Sabha polls. Announcing the decision, Kumaraswamy had said Gowda decided to contest following the request of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, several national leaders and party legislators, and it was not an easy task to "persuade" him to enter the Rajya Sabha.

The JD(S), which has 34 seats in the assembly, is not in a position to win a seat in Rajya Sabha on its own and will need support from the Congress with its surplus votes. A minimum of 45 votes are required for a candidate to win.

If he wins, this will be the second Rajya Sabha entry for 87-year-old Gowda, the first time being in 1996 as the Prime Minister. Deve Gowda was defeated in Tumkur constituency by BJP's GS Basavaraj by over 13,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

As joint candidate of the then ruling Congress-JDS coalition, the JD(S) chief had chosen to contest from Tumkur at the last minute after vacating Hassan-his home turf, to grandson Prajwal Revanna (a current MP).