BENGALURU: Amid speculations of crossvoting in the biennial election to fill four vacant RS seats from Karnataka, governing Congress, in a bid to insulate its flock from any likely poaching attempt by opposition BJP, moved all its MLAs to a resort near Bidadi ahead of Tuesday’s polling. Congress has booked 150 rooms at the resort
To ensure adherence to party directives and whip, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC president, will oversee the polling process personally.Under the open ballot system, every MLA must present their vote to Shivakumar before casting it, deterring any instances of crossvoting.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge also issued a stern warning. “Any legislator found to engage in crossvoting will be dealt with seriously,” he said in Hubballi, emphasising the importance of maintaining party discipline in the electoral process.
The Congress currently holds 134 seats in the assembly, while the BJP has 66, JD(S) 19, and others account for four. The Congress asserts support from two independents and Darshan Puttanaiah from Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, confident of securing victory in three out of the four seats. A meeting between G Janardhana Reddy from Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday also suggested potential shifts in the alliance.
With this, Kupendra Reddy’s candidature faces challenges, especially against the Congress’ formidable line-up. To bolster his chances, last-minute efforts are underway within the JD(S) camp to garner support from Congress MLAs. This is despite the fact that the BJP-JDS alliance only has one seat. Each candidate must secure 45 votes to win, with preference votes coming into play if there are more candidates.
The untimely demise of Congress MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik has slightly altered the electoral landscape, reducing the party’s voting strength by one. However, with 137 legislators and associated members still in their ranks, the Congress maintains a surplus to secure victory.
In a bid to streamline the voting process and prevent inadvertent ballot wastage, the Congress has booked 150 rooms at the resort to accommodate legislators and conducted mock voting trials for first-time MLAs.
Speculations about potential crossvoting from the BJP camp have further heightened uncertainty. Rumours suggest two BJP MLAs, ST Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, may consider crossing party lines in favour of the ruling party if necessary.
The election will see five candidates vying for the vacant seats – Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, and G C Chandrasekhar from the Congress, Narayana Krishnasa Bandage from BJP, and Kupendra Reddy from JD(S). With all parties issuing whips to their MLAs, concerns about potential crossvoting loom large.
The need for this election arises from the impending retirement of Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekar from BJP, as well as the conclusion of the terms of Congress members Chandrashekar, L Hanumanthaiah, and Hussain on April 2.
To ensure adherence to party directives and whip, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC president, will oversee the polling process personally.Under the open ballot system, every MLA must present their vote to Shivakumar before casting it, deterring any instances of crossvoting.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge also issued a stern warning. “Any legislator found to engage in crossvoting will be dealt with seriously,” he said in Hubballi, emphasising the importance of maintaining party discipline in the electoral process.
The Congress currently holds 134 seats in the assembly, while the BJP has 66, JD(S) 19, and others account for four. The Congress asserts support from two independents and Darshan Puttanaiah from Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, confident of securing victory in three out of the four seats. A meeting between G Janardhana Reddy from Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday also suggested potential shifts in the alliance.
With this, Kupendra Reddy’s candidature faces challenges, especially against the Congress’ formidable line-up. To bolster his chances, last-minute efforts are underway within the JD(S) camp to garner support from Congress MLAs. This is despite the fact that the BJP-JDS alliance only has one seat. Each candidate must secure 45 votes to win, with preference votes coming into play if there are more candidates.
The untimely demise of Congress MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik has slightly altered the electoral landscape, reducing the party’s voting strength by one. However, with 137 legislators and associated members still in their ranks, the Congress maintains a surplus to secure victory.
In a bid to streamline the voting process and prevent inadvertent ballot wastage, the Congress has booked 150 rooms at the resort to accommodate legislators and conducted mock voting trials for first-time MLAs.
Speculations about potential crossvoting from the BJP camp have further heightened uncertainty. Rumours suggest two BJP MLAs, ST Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, may consider crossing party lines in favour of the ruling party if necessary.
The election will see five candidates vying for the vacant seats – Ajay Maken, Syed Naseer Hussain, and G C Chandrasekhar from the Congress, Narayana Krishnasa Bandage from BJP, and Kupendra Reddy from JD(S). With all parties issuing whips to their MLAs, concerns about potential crossvoting loom large.
The need for this election arises from the impending retirement of Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekar from BJP, as well as the conclusion of the terms of Congress members Chandrashekar, L Hanumanthaiah, and Hussain on April 2.