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The Rajya Sabha election for four seats will take place on June 10. Given their strength in the Karnataka Assembly, the ruling BJP is expected to win two seats and Congress one.
Accordingly, the BJP fielded Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Kannada actor-turned-politician Jaggesh as their main candidates. Congress has chosen Jairam Ramesh as its preferred candidate.
The tussle is now about the fourth candidate. The JD(S) with 32 seats wants to have a bigger say for the fourth candidate and accordingly fielded Kupendra Reddy.
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With Congress fielding its candidate, the bafflement in the JD(S) camp was evident from two contradictory stands taken by the party leadership on Tuesday and Wednesday.
While on Tuesday night, the party’s second-in-command and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy targeted Congress stalwart Siddaramaiah for the decision to field Khan in the Rajya Sabha election in a series of tweets, the following morning the JD(S) leadership sent its emissary, T A Sharavana to convince the Congress leader to withdraw the second candidate.
”The ‘Kaarana Purusha’ (key person) behind bringing the BJP government (in Karnataka), ‘Aadi Purusha’ of backward community, the ‘Siddha Hasta Mahashaya’ (expert) who is out to finish Congress… What’s your politics? You have started another destructive chapter of your politics to wipe out Muslims,” Kumaraswamy tweeted in Kannada.
”Speech is different from politics!! Is this the politics and strategy of ‘Khilaadi Ramaiah’?” the former CM wondered.
He even charged in his tweets how Siddaramaiah ruined the political career of various Muslim leaders, including former minister Roshan Baig, Tanveer Sait and C K Jaffer Sharief’s grandson Rehman Sharief.
Further, Kumaraswamy claimed the Congress has now fielded a Muslim candidate as a ‘scapegoat’ despite knowing well that he will not win the election.
However, on Wednesday morning, Sharavana called on Siddaramaiah to persuade him to withdraw Mansoor Khan’s candidature.
Later speaking to reporters, Sharavana said he held a discussion with Siddaramaiah that like-minded forces have to stand together on various issues. ”Siddaramaiah in return said he will look into it,” he said.
”There is still two days’ time (for withdrawal of candidates). He assured us that he would look into it and discuss. Being the JD(S), a secular party, we felt we should talk to Congress leaders. Our senior leaders are also going to talk to Siddaramaiah,” said Sharavana, who recently got elected as MLC.
He reminded that his party has 32 votes for their lone candidate against the 24 votes of the Congress to cast for their second candidate.
”If the Congress doesn’t withdraw today, the BJP will win the election easily. Why should we give them a chance to win?” the JD(S) leader said.
According to Sharavana, when Siddaramaiah sought to know why the JD(S) should not withdraw its candidate Kupendra Reddy, he requested the Congress leader to allow him (Reddy) to win.
The JD(S) leadership, according to sources in the party, views the Congress’ move as aimed at not only giving a challenge to Khan but also to send across a message to the Muslims that the Congress alone is their well-wisher and not the JD(S).
It is learnt that the JD(S) leadership is in contact with the Congress high command to allow their candidate to win the election. The JD(S) leaders were hopeful that the Congress will agree to their request and withdraw their candidate before June 3.
Meanwhile, the BJP despite lacking adequate votes for Siroya was confident of his victory.
”We don’t need anybody else’s votes. We will win with our own votes only,” former chief minister B S Yediyurappa told reporters.