Ahead Of Rajya Sabha Polls, Karnataka's JDS Sends Its MLAs To Hotel

A day before the Rajya Sabha election, a group of Karnataka MLAs from the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) moved to a hotel in Bengaluru as part of the party's strategy to ward off 'poaching'.

Of the 32 party MLAs, 20 have already been shifted to the hotel, while the remaining 12 are expected to join them later today.

There are six candidates for the Rajya Sabha poll to four seats from Karnataka, leading to a heated contest for the fourth seat.

For the four seats up for grabs in the state, the BJP has fielded three candidates, Congress has fielded two candidates, and the Janata Dal (Secular) one.

The Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress, both having vowed to defeat the BJP, are yet to reach an agreement as both parties have fielded candidates for the same seat.

"If Congress really wants to defeat the BJP, we have already made an offer of transferring second preferential votes to each other. What else can I do? I have made an open offer, I'm ready for everything for the sake of Karnataka," JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy had said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Siddaramaiah, noting that his party had first fielded its second candidate Mansoor Ali Khan, asked the JD(S) to drop its candidate and ask its MLAs to back the Congress candidate.

A candidate needs the support of 45 MLAs to win. Based on its strength in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP, with 120 MLAs, is sure to win two seats. The Congress, with 70 members, is in a position to win one seat. The ongoing tussle between the parties is to win the fourth seat.

The JD(S), with 32 MLAs, lacks the number to win a Rajya Sabha seat but can help other parties secure one.

The six candidates for Rajya Sabha polls from the state are - Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-politician Jaggesh and outgoing MLC Lehar Singh Siroya from the BJP, former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh and state general secretary Mansoor Ali Khan from the Congress, and former MP D Kupendra Reddy from the JD(S).