The confident BJP, which was sure of its candidates being elected unopposed, was in for a surprise when on the last day of the filing nominations, a former Rajya Sabha member Kamal Morarka filed his nomination as an independent candidate.
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The main Opposition Congress has succeeded to enlist support of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to ensure victory of its candidates in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttarakhand.
With 57 seats, Congress is short of just one vote to win the polls while BJP needs eight extra votes to ensure the victory of Gotia. Although the 10 independents and the five rebel JD(S) MLAs have pledged their support to the Congress, the party is still apprehensive.
With the election of four MPs, the strength of AIADMK will go up to 12 from the present 11 in Rajya Sabha but there will be no change in the number of DMK MPs which will continue to be four.
Reacting to the sting operations, BJP state President and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa called Siddaramaiah an architect behind these activities.
Sting operations on Thursday purportedly showed crores of rupees being “offered” to independent lawmakers in Karnataka to vote for Congress or JD-S nominees in the June 11 Rajya Sabha elections for four seats or legislators from small parties talking about money for their support. “After this, no right thinking MLA will risk his membership because there are still a few months left for the assembly elections”, he said.
While the Election Commission has sought a report from the state’s Chief Electoral Officer on alleged horse-trading for the Rajya Sabha polls in Karnataka, some 14 independent legislators from the Karnataka Assembly are enjoying luxurious hospitality in a Juhu hotel. Why have these MLAs travelled now to Mumbai? Many of these MLAs were shown in sting operations done by two national news channels, discussing sale of votes.
Speculations were rife in the political circles that the ruling party has sent a group of non-Congress MLAs on a foreign junket, in an attempt to keep them safe from poaching.
A parallel “sting” operation by another channel showed Congress candidate K C Ramamurthy and Independent MLAs purportedly speaking of getting increased development funds for the constituency from the government in return for votes.
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Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda said, Chief Minister who has grown from my party (JDS) is doing this to finish the party.
