Four Congress candidates and two BJP candidates are likely to win, but a fierce battle is emerging for the final seat as Congress relies on second-preference votes to block the BJP-JD(S) alliance.
The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have kept their respective flocks together by corralling party MLAs at resorts in different areas surrounding Bengaluru amid fears of cross-voting and absenteeism ahead of the Karnataka Legislative Council elections for seven seats on Thursday.
While the Congress has fielded five candidates, the BJP has two in the fray. The JD(S) announced a candidate at the last minute, despite lacking the required numbers to secure a guaranteed win.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) met Tuesday evening, after which the party instructed its MLAs to stay back at a resort in Bengaluru South district. They will be ferried directly to the Vidhana Soudha for the poll on Thursday.
During the meeting, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is learnt to have raised apprehensions over a few Congress legislators being approached by the JD(S). Later, the legislators underwent a training session on how to vote, given that a preferential voting system is utilised.
Responding to media queries, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy dismissed claims that the regional party was trying to lure Congress MLAs to benefit its candidate. “We have fielded one candidate just to ensure that our party votes remain together. We are not looking to win the seat at any cost by employing wily means,” he said Wednesday.
Kumaraswamy’s request to BJP
The JD(S), which has shifted its legislators to Devanahalli, requested its alliance partner, the BJP, to transfer its surplus votes. “Ours is a small party. What can we do? They (Congress) have the manpower, muscle power, and money power. Can we fight against them?” Kumaraswamy said.
A candidate securing 28 first-preference votes will be declared a winner in the first round. Due to this threshold, four Congress candidates, Karnataka Congress president BK Hariprasad, Tippannappa Kamaknoor, P V Mohan, and Shivanna Malavalli, and two BJP candidates, Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya, are positioned to secure comfortable wins.
For the seventh seat, the Congress is short by two votes. However, the party remains confident that the second-preference votes cast for Karthik will ensure he sails through. The JD(S) candidate lacks the necessary numbers, even with potential support from the BJP, and BJP rebel Basangouda Patil Yatnal. The JD(S)’s prospects face a further challenge as one of its prominent MLAs, GT Deve Gowda, has fallen out with the party rank and file in recent days.
The BJP will hold its Legislature Party meeting on Wednesday evening ahead of the polls.
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