The Congress high command has chosen two nominees for the Karnataka Member of Legislative Council (MLC) elections, which are scheduled to be held shortly after the present term ends on June 30.
According to an All India Congress Committee (AICC) press release, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has approved the candidature of BK Hariprasad and Naseer Ahmed to contest the biennial elections to the Legislative Council of Karnataka.
BK Hariprasad is a former Rajya Sabha member, and former party general secretary, while Naseer Ahmed, who is presently an MLC is seeking re-election.
The Legislative Council of Karnataka is set to be elected by MLAs. The Congress has 68 seats in the state Assembly, and can elect 2 MLC members
According to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President DK Shivakumar, there were more than 200 people who aspired to be on one of the two MLC tickets in Congress’ kitty.
Meanwhile, the BJP high command has not yet chosen its MLC candidates.
The last date for filing nominations is June 18.
The BJP is able to nominate four seats in the Legislative Council out of the total 7 seats, as they hold the largest number of seats in the house.
JD(S) will be able to nominate one member.
The Karnataka BJP has recommended the names of R. Shankar, N. Nagaraju (MTB) and AH Vishwanath, former members of the MLC, as well as former MLA Sunil Vallyapure.
It is, however, unlikely that the BJP in Delhi will accept these names, as there currently is an ongoing power struggle between the high command and the Karnataka BJP.
Inputs from PTI