RS polls: BJP announces third ticket from Karnataka to Lehar Singh

Bengaluru: The BJP high command, on Monday night, officially announced Lehar Singh as its third candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections from the state.

Tuesday, May 31, being the last day for the filing of nomination papers, Nirmala Sitharaman, actor Jaggesh, and Lehar Singh are all set to file their papers today with BJP tickets.

The announcement of a third candidate by the BJP has made the contest for the Rajya Sabha seats interesting. Of the 4 seats up for grabs from Karnataka, BJP and Congress are certain to win two and one seat respectively. However, for the last seat, they lack the requisite numbers.

Already, Congress fielding Mansur Ali Khan as its second candidate has shocked JDS’s D. Kupendra Reddy who had met with Congress MLA for support. All parties are watchful about the situation where ‘cross-voting’ might take place.

Things get a little more clarity once all candidates file their nomination papers.  For now, though, all parties seem to be in a wait and watch mode.