BANGALORE: The elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka is going to be tricky and also gives wide scope for “economic affluence”, given the composition of the Assembly. Each candidate needs 46 votes to win. The BJP, with its number being 121, can easily get two of its candidates win by polling total 92 votes. It will be surplus with 29 votes. The Congress with its strength being 71, can get one of its candidate elected and be with a surplus of 25 votes. The JD (S) strength being only 26 cannot field a candidate of its own, but it would be interesting to know what it would do. The total surplus votes of Congress and BJP put together works out to 54. It is being said that Rajeev Chandrashekar, considered close to BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar and JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, has appealed to the parties to pool their surplus votes to him, as he is planning to contest as an independent. “Rajeev Chandrashekar would not like to become candidate of any party as that would make him a pariah for others to vote,” a senior BJP leader told Express. “In the event of Yeddyurappa not in favour of supporting Chandrashekar, then the party will allot 60 votes to each of its two candidates thus polling 120 votes and leave very little for others to operate,” sources added. The BJP is expected to field V Dhananjaya Kumar and is scouting its second candidate in order to replace Hema Malini and K B Shanappa. The possibility of either Dharmendra Pradhan or Nirmala Seetharaman contesting is ruled out. The Congress is expected to retain its sitting member Rehman Khan but Opposition leader Siddaramaiah is believed to be pushing C M Ibrahim’s name. The Congress can face opposition from C K Jaffer Sharief to both Khan and Ibrahim’s candidature. Given Sharief’s proximity with Deve Gowda, he may try his chance as an independent backed by JD (S) and appeal to surplus voters.
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