Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu strongly defended his candidature for the ensuing Rajaya Saba elections from Karnataka. He said in Bengaluru on Friday that he was not an outsider.
He said, “If people from outside the country could get elected, why not I’’. He was responding to queries from newsmen over the protest in the State against his candidature terming him as an outsider. The protests were being organised by some pro- Kannada organisations.
He asserted that he was definitely not an outsider. Naidu was first elected to Rajya Sabha from the State Assembly in 1998. Subsequently he was re-elected to the Upper House of the Parliament in 2004 and 2010.
Naidu, whose term ends in June, is likely to be re-nominated by the BJP for a fourth term in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in the Biennial elections to be held on June 11. Nominations close on May 31.
June 11th Rajya Sabha election is crucial for the ruling Congress in Karnataka which is hoping to win three seats out of four to help party maintain its tally in Rajya Sabha. In number games, the ruling party has numbers in legislative Assembly for two seats but could manage third one if the party gets the support of the nine independents and other smaller parties. At present the Congress holds only one seat but four seats will be vacant to add up to its tally.
According to Assembly secretariat the of number of votes required to win is 45 in the 225 member the Karnataka Assembly (with no vote to the nominated Anglo-Indian member). The ruling party has the strength of 123 MlAs (excluding Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa), while the Bharatiya Janata Party has 44 and the Janata Dal (Secular) has the strength of 40 MlAs. The ruling party can easily ensure victory of two candidates, and will be left with surplus 33 votes. It will be short of 12 votes to get the third seat. The Congress is banking on cross voting from disgruntled JDs MlAs to snatch the third seat. As JDs is facing internal rebellion, feuds, the Congress will certainty try to lure the disgruntled JDs MlAs to get 12 as part of its strategy.
It is crucial for the Congress to win third seat and the party might also look at Independents (9) and members of the Badavara Shramikara Raithara Congress Party (3 MlAs), Karnataka Janata Paskha (2), and Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha and Karnataka Makkala Paksha (one MlA each) to lend their support.
The elections are necessitated as Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Ayunur Manjunath of the BJP and Oscar Fernandes( Congress ) are scheduled to retire next month and Vijay Mallya (Independent) resigned recently.