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
Ache din ki maa ki aur Modi ki .....
Modi visits all country for yoga publicity.
Why he is silent on protecting cows(hindu god) in foreign country ?
RSS and all hindu Groups should approach foreign country to stop killing their Gods, If foreign country rejects their proposal then they should take actions to boycott foreign goods.
Is there any man in RSS or Hindu group to stop killing of Hindu God in the world ?
Impotent people can bark in their boundary only with their hired media.
After all God is more important than Yoga.
WHO ARE THE JUDGES?
NOW A COW IS SAFE THAN A HUMAN BEING.
AMERICA imports and eats hindu god daily. Why modi is silent on this issue ?
He should approach other country to protect hindu god. Which is weaker by nature.
Impotent justice from impotent people. Expecting justice from idol worshipper is totally wrong.
Kabir Meat exporting company is run by RSS people. It kills millions of Hindu God daily.
Why there is no FIR against them?
Modi has given subsidy to kill hindu god.
If the did kill a cow they do deserve punishment , Did modi make him kill a cow ?
This is called justice....?
Modi Government is trying to get these murderers out from the jail to use them in the upcoming election in Uttar Pradesh....what a tragedy...there is no value for human kind...no humanity left in this country...by hook or crook these crooks want to rule the country....
HEADS UP TO OUR INDIAN LAW,
ACCHE DIN KI CHAMATH KAAAR...
Delay tactics to Justice, so grieved family get fed up by this way...common ppl loose confidence on law system in our country
Why there is no FIR against Sangeet Som who is killing cow every day and exprting under Al Anam and other company name? Can the activists and govt take any action against this guy?
What a joke yar,,,,,,this is the stupid RSS and BJP
A big Joke of the year
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