Congress secures three Rajya Sabha seats while BJP wins one as all four candidates are set to enter the Upper House unopposed from Karnataka
Bengaluru: Three Congress nominees and one BJP candidate have been elected unopposed to the four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka after the scrutiny of nomination papers concluded on Monday. The development comes after the nomination of an independent candidate was rejected, leaving only four valid candidates in the fray for four vacancies.
Returning Officer K.M. Visalakshi scrutinised the nomination papers and found the nominations of Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera and Mansoor Ali Khan, along with BJP candidate Prof. M. Nagaraj, to be valid. With no remaining challengers, all four candidates are set to enter the Rajya Sabha unopposed, subject to the completion of the nomination withdrawal process.
Four Rajya Sabha Candidates Set for Unopposed Victory
The nomination process for the four Rajya Sabha seats from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly concluded with five candidates initially filing nominations. However, the nomination submitted by independent candidate Bhojanna Somanna was rejected during scrutiny.
Officials stated that the nomination was rejected because it lacked the mandatory signatures of proposers, making it invalid under election rules.
As a result, only four valid candidates remain for the four available seats, eliminating the need for polling.
"The nominations of all four party candidates were found valid during scrutiny, while the independent candidate's nomination was rejected for procedural deficiencies."
Congress Bags Three Seats, BJP Secures One
The Congress has secured three Rajya Sabha seats through the nominations of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leader Pawan Khera and Mansoor Ali Khan. The BJP's Prof. M. Nagaraj has secured the fourth seat.
Since the number of valid candidates equals the number of vacancies, all four candidates are poised to be declared elected without a contest.
The official announcement is expected after June 11, which is the final date for withdrawal of nominations.
Focus Shifts to Karnataka Legislative Council Elections
While the Rajya Sabha election has effectively concluded without voting, attention has now shifted to the elections for seven Karnataka Legislative Council seats.
Congress candidates B.K. Hariprasad, Thippanappa Kamakanura, Malavalli Shivanna, P.V. Mohan and Vinay Karthik have filed nominations. BJP nominees Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya, along with JD(S) candidate Govindaraju, are also in the race.
If no nominations are withdrawn by June 11, voting for the Council seats will take place on June 18.
Political observers believe Congress is comfortably positioned to win four seats, while BJP is expected to secure two seats based on its current Assembly strength. The contest for the remaining seat is likely to witness a direct battle between Congress candidate Vinay Karthik and JD(S) nominee Govindaraju.
Background
The four Rajya Sabha vacancies from Karnataka arose following the completion of the terms of sitting members. Based on the current strength of political parties in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Congress held a clear numerical advantage to secure three seats, while BJP was positioned to win one. With the rejection of the lone independent nomination, the election became uncontested, paving the way for the four candidates to be elected without polling.
