Karnataka RS polls: How Congress plans to send 3 candidates to the Upper House

The Congress can elect two while the BJP can send one of its candidates to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. The question is about the third seat and the Congress would 10 more MLAs to send its candidate to the upper house.

The JD(S) was hoping that the Congress would back its candidate, but that did not materialise. The Congress made it clear that it would send all three candidates to the Rajya Sabha.

There are 44 first preference votes required to elect a candidate to the Rajya Sabha. The Congress can comfortably elect two with 88 votes. The strength of the Congress in the Karnataka legislative assembly is 122.

This means the remaining 34 Congress MLAs would require the support of 10 non-Congress MLAs to elect the third candidate. The Congress says that it is very confident that it could send its third candidate to the Rajya Sabha.

It would rely on the 7 JD(S) MLAs who had fallen out with Deve Gowda and have been suspended from the party. Apart from this, there is Ashok Kheny of the KMP who was recently inducted from the party. A break MLA of the KJP and one from the BSR Congress would help make up for the deficit.

The JD(S) however has decided to field its candidate. It has shortlisted, M Farooq and Veeranna Reddy. The JD(S) is hoping to hatch a counter plan and has approached at least 10 MLAs who are opposed to Siddaramaiah.

OneIndia News