Karnataka: Congress ends JD(S) hope of bagging Rajya Sabha seat

Bengaluru: With the Congress deciding to field three candidates for the Rajya Sabha poll from the state , the JD(S)’s chances of  winning a seat to the RS now look bleak.While the BJP has sufficient numbers to see its  candidate, Rajeev Chandrashekhar elected, the Congress may be short of  one or two votes to get its third candidate elected even presuming it gets the backing of all the independents. It could, however, make up for the shortage through preferential votes.

 But the JD(S) appears to have committed a blunder by fielding Mr B M Farooq for the poll. Sources in the party say no one is aware of the strategy involved as the such decisions are left to party supremo,  H D Deve Gowda. “The party was banking on Congress support as it cooperated with it in the  Nanjangud and Gundlupet bypolls and is  backing it in the BBMP. The message was conveyed to the Congress high command, which promised to consider it,” said a party insider.

Had the JD(S) fielded party general secretary, Danish Ali, it could have counted on Congress  support, but it was not keen on Mr Farooq, according to sources. While Mr Ali  is said to have friends in the Congress high command inner circle, Mr Farooq is from the Byari community that is found only along the coast. Also, Chief Minister Siddaramiah reportedly believes that if Mr Farooq is elected to the Rajya Sabha, the  JD(S) could be flush with funds for the elections. 

So far, Mr Gowda has  maintained a stoic silence on the issue, but  a clear picture is expected to emerge on Wednesday after the withdrawal of  nomination papers.

On Monday Mr Chandrashekhar of the BJP filed his papers for the RS poll accompanied by state party president, B S Yeddyurappa and others. While Congress candidates, Dr L Hanumanthaiah, Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrashekhar too filed their nomination papers,  Mr Farooq of the JD(S), who had filed three sets of nomination papers on Friday, filed two more on Monday as it was an “auspicious day.”