In what could lead the party to a majority in the Karnataka Legislative Council and pave the way for the passage of crucial Bills, the Congress is learnt to have finalised candidates for the four vacant MLC seats.
Though demands to field all new faces for the four seats had been gaining momentum, sources said only three are likely to be fresh. The party is expected to announce the candidates by the end of this month, ahead of the Monsoon Session.
With all four seats likely to be won by the Congress, its strength in the 75-member Council would rise to 37. The NDA has 36 MLCs (BJP 28, JD-S 6), with Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Independent MLC Lakhan Jarkiholi making up the rest of the House.
Several legislation by the government such as amendments to The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, and The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2023, are pending clearance.
Two of the four seats have remained vacant since October last year after the terms of Congress MLCs Venkatesh and Prakash Rathod ended. Another fell vacant in November last year after former BJP MLC C P Yogeshwar crossed over to the Congress and won the Assembly bypoll from Channapatna, the seat vacated by Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy after he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandya. The fourth seat fell vacant in January this year after the term of JD(S) MLC K A Thppieswamy’s term ended.
Sources said intense lobbying and internal differences among party leaders over the choice of candidates led to the delay in finalising the names.
Among the fresh faces likely to get the nod is Raghunandan Ramanna, the Chairman of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Area Planning Authority (BMICAPA), who is a close aide of Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar. Ramanna was among the frontrunners for a Congress ticket in last year’s Assembly bypoll from Channapatna, but lost out to Yogeshwar.
Another frontrunner is Dinesh Amin Mattu, the former media advisor to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Once a journalist associated with the Kannada daily Prajavani, Mattu was appointed to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during Siddaramaiah’s first term in 2013.
While the Siddaramaiah camp is pushing Mattu’s candidature saying he would be “an effective voice in the Council to counter the Opposition”, the Shivakumar faction is believed to be opposed arguing that the former journalist’s loyalties lie only with the CM and not the party.
The only candidate who is likely to be fielded again is U B Venkatesh, whose term ended last October. Though he unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Assembly polls from the Basavanagudi seat, insiders said his proximity to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to tip the scales in his favour.
Other contenders seen to be in the running include KPCC treasurer Vinay Karthik, writer and filmmaker Baragaru Ramachandrappa, and Congress leaders V S Ugrappa, B L Shankar and Bhavya Narasimhamurhty.
According to sources, though preliminary discussions over candidate selection were held with AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Randeep Surjewala last month, a final call is likely to be taken only after the party’s “Sadhana Samavesha” – an event held to mark the Congress government’s two-year rule in the state – on May 20, in which top leaders like Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are expected to participate.
State minister Satish Jarkiholi in February had said that during discussions over candidate selection with Surjewala, he had urged the leadership to ensure social and demographic balance and pick one candidate each from the Bhovi (SC community), Lambani (ST community), minority and OBC communities.
