BJP core committee to discuss candidates for RS polls today

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the State BJP core committee that will meet on May 14 will discuss the preparations and candidates for elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from the state and for the Legislative Council polls.

Biennial elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka and two each graduates' and teachers' constituencies of the state Legislative Council will be held on June 10 and 13 respectively.

Also biennial elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council will be held on June 3.

"On May 14, the state BJP core committee will meet, during the meeting we will discuss regarding Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls," Bommai told reporters here.

The elections to four seats of Rajya Sabha have been necessitated as the term of office of members including BJP's Nirmala Sitharaman (Union Finance Minister) and K C Ramamurthy is due to expire on June 30.

Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the method of indirect election, by elected members of the Legislative Assembly of that State, in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

The elections to Legislative Council by MLAs is necessitated as the term of office of seven members including BJP's Laxman Sangappa Savadi and Lahar Singh Siroya is going to expire on June 14.

According to sources, in these polls, each MLC candidate will require a minimum of 29 votes to win, and on the basis of minimum votes required and tallying it with the strength of each party in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP will be able win four seats, Congress two and JD(S) one.

While, polls for two each graduates' and teachers' constituencies of the state Legislative Council is necessitated as the term four members including BJP's Irani Hanamant Rudrappa from North-West Graduates' constituency, and Arun Shahapur from North-West Teachers' constituency is expiring on July 4.

BJP has already announced the candidates for three -- two sitting MLCs, Arun Shahpur (North West Teachers' constituency) and Hanumant Rudrappa Nirani (North West Graduates' constituency), and former MLC M V Ravishankar (South Graduates' Constituency).

Basavaraj Horatti, who is currently the Legislative Council Chairman and was elected on a JD(S) ticket last time, is likely to be BJP's candidate from West Teachers' constituency.

The ruling BJP currently has 37 members in the upper house, where it is just one short of a simple majority. The halfway mark in the 75-member Legislative Council is 38. While Congress' strength is 26, JD(S) has 10 members. There is also one independent member other than the Chairman.