Bengaluru, Jun 10: Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda said on Tuesday that he filed his nomination for the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka in response to a collective call from national leaders to be back in the Parliament.
"Though I was not personally interested to contest, national leaders from Congress President Sonia Gandhi, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, TMC and Left parties want me back in Parliament," he told reporters here.
Gowda, 87, filed his nomination in the Vidhana Soudha, submitting the papers to Assembly Secretary and Returning Officer M.K. Vishalakshi, a party official told IANS.
Gowda''s second son and former minister H.D. Revanna and third son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy were present on the occasion.
"Our party''s all 34 legislators also urged me to contest as my presence is necessary in Parliament at a time when the country was grappling with multiple crises in the aftermath of coronavirus," said Gowda.
Claiming that there was no pressure from his two sons as they are more concerned with his health, Gowda said he was touched by the requests of the national leaders, especially Gandhi who personally called him and asked him to contest as the country needed his presence in Parliament.
Gowda agreed to contest in the bypoll as his party''s candidate after the Congress state unit assured him of its support with its surplus votes, as the JD-S with 34 legislators is short of 10 votes of the required 44 votes.
It will be second time Gowda will enter the Rajya Sabha, 24 years after he was its member as the Prime Minster from June 1996 to April 1997 of the United Front government.
"Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal informed Kumaraswamy on June 6 that the party was fielding only its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka and had surplus votes to ensure my victory as our party is 10 votes short of the required 44 votes to win," Gowda said.
Kharge filed his nomination on Monday.
Party''s outgoing member Kupendra Reddy, whose 6-year term ends on June 25, told Gowda that he was not interested for a second term as he did not get enough time in the upper house to raise issues.
"As our party does not have numbers in Parliament to get more time allotted to raise issues and participate in debates, Reddy wanted me to be in the Rajya Sabha in his place so that I could serve the nation better," Gowda said.
Gowda lost in the May 2019 general elections from Tumkur to G.S. Basvaraj of the BJP.
With the term of the four members -- Congress'' B.K. Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda, BJP''s Prabhakar Kore and JD-S''s Reddy ending on June 25, the Election Commission notified the poll on June 1.
According to the poll panel, the nominations will be scrutinised on Wednesday and last date for withdrawal by candidates is June 12. Polling and vote count is on June 19.
From the ruling BJP, its grassroot cadres Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti filed their nominations after Gowda.
By fielding Gowda for the fourth seat, the Congress and JD-S, who had post-poll and pre-poll alliances for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections in May 2019 and May 2018, queered the pitch for the BJP, denying it the chance to win a third seat.
Comments
Dear Rakesh.
We know how brain is working after cheddi media & teaching have affected U.. and 95% of the cases charged are still not proved and the cheddi authorities are playing with the dumb spectaters like U who support them without your own investigation on the cases which still did not give any proof..... anyway A day will come to judge such cases where innocents have been trapped and the one who gave us this life will judge and on that day no cheddis will come to your rescue for your blind support now. Which U will regret for not using your god given intellectual. Try to know the reality and study on cheddi deception.
Rakesh,
Jamate Islami Hind an institution have no connection with Simi. SIMI is a independent institution which banned now. Its a student movement like ABVP. Jamate Islami Hind have student wing is SIO. I don't know where you got the information that he was with SIMI. Can you furnish the details about the Syed Qasim was with SIMI, failing which you will have apologize in this forum for non authentic information.
SQR Ilyasi we are with you...A goonda coward who is sitting abroad is preaching Hindutva patriotism ..As a Muslim we are not scared of these death threats
this man was with SIMI ... what else we can expect from his son ? Mr Abdullah , clarification , not India , it is muslims only and some left mentally retards . May be he has support from pakistan .
No worry ... India With U. Jai Hind.
Dont worry guys.... for the threats
Allah gives life & death and we muslims believe that.. If you are firm in your belief.. Just pray to him and ask his protection ... Dont worry about the evil .. Unless ALLAH gives permission nothing on the earth will move... even the evil of ravi poojary..
TRUST ALLAH, U are on the safe hand unless ALLAH decreed on U. even if U are harmed. It is the matter is with ALLAH.
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