Bengaluru: The Election Commission has announced elections for seven seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council, a move that could significantly bolster the ruling Congress party's strength in the Upper House. The electorate for these polls will consist exclusively of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
Seats and Candidates
The seven legislators whose terms are ending include Govind Raju, Naseer Ahmed, BK Hariprasad, and Tippanappa Kamakanoor from Congress, and Prathap Simha Nayak, Sunil Vallyapure, and MTB Nagaraj from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Poll Schedule
The formal notification for the elections, scheduled for June 18, will be issued on June 1. The last date for filing nominations is June 8, giving candidates a week to submit their papers.
Strategic Importance
These elections are crucial as they could hand Congress complete control of the council. Over the past three years, the governing party has faced challenges in pushing key legislation due to its lack of numbers in the Upper House. A stronger presence would ease legislative hurdles.
Vote Calculation
Given the current strength of 222 members in the assembly—excluding two vacancies caused by the death of Planning and Statistics Minister D Sudhakar and the disqualification of Dharwad MLA Vinay Kulkarni following his conviction in a murder case—a candidate requires 28 votes to win under the preferential voting system.
Congress, with an effective strength of 135 including the Speaker, is comfortably placed to win four seats. However, the party is considering fielding a fifth candidate, banking on surplus votes, support from independents, and possible backing from expelled BJP legislators.
Congress Strategy
The governing party is expected to reserve 112 first-preference votes for its four assured candidates, leaving it with 23 additional votes. It is confident of support from independents Darshan Puttanaiah of Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha, Latha Mallikarjun from Harapanahalli, and KH Puttaswamy Gowda from Gauribidanur.
The party is also hopeful of support from expelled BJP MLAs ST Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, both considered close to Congress. Expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal remains a wildcard, potentially influencing the outcome.
Opposition Dynamics
On the opposition side, the BJP, with 63 MLAs, is expected to comfortably win two seats. However, a third candidate backed by the BJP-JD(S) combine may fall short, as the alliance is estimated to have only 25 votes—three short of the winning mark of 28.
Potential Outcome
If Congress succeeds in winning five seats, its tally in the 75-member council will rise to 38, crossing the majority mark on its own. The combined tally of the BJP and JD(S) would then fall to 35. Independent MLC Lakkan Jarkiholi is also expected to back Congress, further strengthening the ruling party's position.
Such an outcome could pave the way for Congress to elect its own Chairman and Deputy Chairman in the Upper House, consolidating the Siddaramaiah-led government's control over the legislature. Currently, Basavaraj Horatti of BJP serves as the council chairman.
Author Bio
Sandeep Moudgal is a journalist with 18 years of experience, specializing in politics and policy. He serves as Senior Assistant Editor at the Bengaluru bureau, covering Karnataka. He holds a Master's degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from Mysore University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism.
