Kupendra Reddy springs a surprise in Karnataka, throws hat in the ring for Rajya Sabha elections
The Hindu
While the Congress was set to comfortably win three seats and the BJP one seat from the four seats for which polls will be held on February 27, the entry of Kupendra Reddy has introduced an element of uncertainty. Political circles are abuzz about the possibility of cross-voting.
Forcing an election for the fourth Rajya Sabha seat from Karnataka, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) sprung a surprise on February 15 by fielding former Rajya Sabha member Kupendra Reddy of the JD(S) as the fifth candidate.
Mr. Reddy is one of the richest politicians in Karnataka with declared assets of over ₹800 crore. He filed his nomination on February 15, accompanied by JD(S) and BJP leaders.
While the Congress was set to comfortably win three seats and the BJP one seat from the four seats for which polls will be held on February 27, the entry of Mr. Reddy has introduced an element of uncertainty. Political circles are abuzz about the possibility of cross-voting.
Already, it appears that JD(S) MLA from Gurmitkal Sharanagowda Kandakur is unlikely to support his party’s candidate.
Mr. Reddy retired as a Rajya Sabha member in 2020 to pave the way for the election of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda to the Upper House.
In June 2022, he lost the Rajya Sabha elections because the Congress refused to transfer its additional votes and, instead, fielded its own candidate, resulting in victory for BJP candidate Lehar Singh Siroya. Two JD(S) members had cross-voted in that election.
Earlier in June 2016, eight JD(S) legislators had cross-voted in favour of Congress candidate K.C. Ramamurthy, resulting in the defeat of the party’s candidate B.M. Farooq.
Political economist Parakala Prabhakar has described the exit poll results as “fudged figures”, saying that those would benefit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) only. “False predictions were given with the sole objective of helping the NDA in rigging during the counting,” alleged Mr. Prabhakar, after releasing a book titled ‘Avineeti Chakravarthi Narendra Modi’ penned by former Minister Vadde Shobanadreeswara Rao, here, on June 2 (Sunday).