Karnataka Rajya Sabha elections: Congress wins 3 seats, BJP one

Bengaluru: Each of the three Congress candidates- Nasir Husain, L Hanumanathaiah, G C Chandrashekar - and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday won in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state in the midst of a blacklist by JD(S) legislators, who refered to violation of electoral rules. 

A candidate required around 38 votes to win the polls. Individuals from the Legislative Assembly shape the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha elections. Of the 217 qualified voters, 188 members voted and four votes were discovered invalid. 

While Congress candidates secured the required number of votes in favor of triumph - Chandrashekar (46), L Hanumanathaiah (44) and Husain (42) - B M Farook of the JD(S) lost the elections as he secured just two votes. This is the second time that Farook is tasting rout in the Rajya Sabha polls. Rajeev Chandrasekhar secured the most elevated number votes (50) to sack his third successive term to the Rajya Sabha. 

The process of counting votes was delayed by about more than two hours as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjeev Kumar alluded an update submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI) submitted to him by the JD(S) looking for countermanding of the polls. Kumar was discharing his obligations as observer of the ECI. 

The JD(S), in its complaint, refered to gross violation of electoral guidelines by Legislative Assembly Secretary S Murthy, who is the Returning Officer (RO). The party had protested two Congress officials - Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa and Gurmitkal MLA Baburao Chinchansur - being enabled another opportunity to cast their votes. 

Both Thimmappa and Chinchansur had looked for substitution of ticket papers as they wrongly denoted their inclination. The decision officers obliged, much to the vexation of the JD(S). Tallying of votes which was planned to begin at 5 pm, started just at 7.30 pm after the ECI gave its approval for the procedure.