Bengaluru, Jun 8: Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday filed his nomination as the party's candidate for the June 19 Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka.
The former union minister filed his nomination in the presence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah and other senior party leaders at the office of Legislative Assembly Secretary M K Vishalakshi, who is the returning officer for the polls.
Ahead of filing of nomination, the Congress Legislature Party meeting was held under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, after which Shivakumar issued "B-form" to Kharge.
The Congress high command on June 5 had announced Kharge as the party's candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.
The election is scheduled on June 19 to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka represented by Rajeev Gowda and BK Hariprasad of the Congress, Prabhakar Kore of the BJP and D Kupendra Reddy of the JD(S) that will fall vacant on June 25, with their retirement.
June 9 is the last date for filing nominations.
Congress with 68 MLAs in the assembly can win one of the four seats easily on its own, so Kharge's victory is said to be certain.
This will be the first stint in Rajya Sabha for Kharge, who has always got elected directly by the people in his political career spanning over four decades.
The leader, earlier popularly known as "solillada Saradara", (a leader without defeat), faced his first electoral loss in his political life against BJP's Umesh Jadhav in Gulbarga by a margin of 95,452 votes during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
A nine-time MLA and two-term Lok Sabha member, he had served as Congress floor leader in the previous Lok Sabha, and also as Union Railway and Labour Minister during the UPA government.
Kharge, who is 77-years-old, has also served as minister during several Congress governments in the state, and as KPCC President and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly in the past.
His son, Priyank Kharge, is currently MLA representing Chittapur constituency and had served as minister during the previous Congress and coalition governments.
JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is the JD(S) candidate.
The regional party that has 34 seats in the assembly is not in a position to win a seat in Rajya Sabha on its own, and will need the support from the Congress with its surplus votes.
A minimum of 44 votes are required for candidates to win.
BJP with 117 members in the assembly (including Speaker), can ensure easy victory in two seats.
The BJP's central leadership on Monday sprang a surprise by fielding Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha election ignoring the recommendations of the state BJP unit.
Comments
Is Modi Govt taking care of indians or UK. Is he PM for UK or India. He has already sold India in the hands of foreign investers and now selling indian assets also which was inherited from old kings. May be Modi will sell Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Vidhana soudha, Srirangapatna Mandir, Kollur Mandir to foreigners and make money for bjp and its supporters. shame on you bjp Govt. It will be better to kick out this Govt very soon otherwise we Indians will be completely sold out to foreigners. Beware of this looter's Govt.
Cheddi fans are BLINDLY supporting him. Start opening your EYES ... Looters have no issue and those helper who in the first place helped the british to loot the KOHInoor has no issue... Its not new.
Modi Govt. is a very big fake and rubbish Govt. any promise they fulfilled till now..?, hope their term will complete very soon after that only Acche Din will come..
After all RSS is the agent of British raj. How can they go against their
will ? THE REAL NAME OF RSS IS ROYAL SECRET SERVICE, which was giving then British rulers information about indian freedom fighters.
They are their sole agent then and even now.!
BLACK MONEY BHI NAHI KHOHINOOR BHI NAHI
Waah thief waah!!!
Next he will tell British never invaded India.
We invited them to learn to wear bikini.
RSS is the enemy of India.
It did not surprise me... We know cheddis partner during freedom struggle...
I think Kohinoor diamond belongs to Mugals (Shahajan). how Ranjith Sing is gifting British
Yes, its nice to see it with queen rather than kept here in India...someone will take it if it is kept here....can't trust....
Same like \National Herald is gifted to Sonia Gandhi and not looted by her\" as claimed by Congress party."
If a slave gives a \gift\" to his master, there is always room for reinterpreting the idea behind the \"gift\". But if the new masters are not different from the old, how can this happen? This is the tragedy of India - and this is why we ought to see that the Cong, BJP, CPI etc are actually a continuation of the British colonial legacy. You can defeat them in some cricket matches, but when it comes to substantive issues, you concede the match even before it begins. This is the colonialism of the mind."
Look like air leaking from 56inch chest.
Soon it will be 26 inch.
This decision of govt also justify
British rule over India.
Shame on BJP.
bjp and rss revere godse, the criminal who brutally killed Gandhiji. bjp/rss are agents of british
We want Kohinoor back, who is government to tell them to keep it and they then call themselves as nationaliats. These are real anti-nationals and agents of British.
@Tolerant Indian: Disappointing. The Brits don't deserve our Kohinoor. But if was a gift, then we shouldn't be expecting it back. Blame our Maharaja of Punjab. Height of MASKA GIRI.
Tolerant Indian: spineless modi. Kohinoor belongs to India. it is India's shaan. lalit modi now vijay mallaya took our money to UK. farmers and poor are committing suicide and government gifting riches to other countries.
@Tolerant Indian: Indians have the generosity to make the world rich, by gifting and stashing money in foreign countries!
We have had gifted everything to British during British rule! And now our Rich Indians started gifting by moving out of the country to get settled in UK? There is no surprise, everything is fine in Love to English!
Bring Kohinoor Back Kohinoor was our heritage, it should be brought back.
Kohinoor wasn't a gift. But a war prize that was pushed down our throats by sly East India Co. Better revise stand.
Everyone knows that RSS is always acted as British agent.
Kohinoor was not stolen from India. It was merely abducted. Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
Someone just told me 'we have enough gems in the govt, who needs Kohinoor.'
Okay Britain, let's do a deal. You give us back on thing we gave you - Kohinoor. We'll give you back one thing you gave us - Section 377.
modi govt run by buffoons: Kohinoor gifted by Ranjit Singh to brits? he died in 1839, brits snatched diamond in 1849!
After all, the difference between \gifted\" and \"lifted\" is just one letter."
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