Even as the embers of the general elections are yet to die down – with results awaited – parties in Karnataka are gearing up for the next round of crucial\u00a0elections. In the 75-member Karnataka Vidhan Parishad, Congress and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are locked in a contest to seize control of the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Karnataka Vidhana Parishad of the Upper House, the Legislative Council, will witness two elections in June.\u00a0 Eleven members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) will\u00a0be elected\u00a0by the members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) on June 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are also in head-to-head in contest for six seats – three each from\u00a0graduates\u2019\u00a0and\u00a0teachers\u2019\u00a0constituencies. The polling for the same will\u00a0be held\u00a0on June 3, and votes will\u00a0be counted\u00a0on June 6. The outgoing members\u00a0are expected\u00a0to step down on June 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n
- \n
- Also read: Lok Sabha Polls: Witness a 2.38 crore increase in absolute votes, despite a 1.8% dip in turnout percentage<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As of now, the BJP holds a narrow lead in the Karnataka Vidhan Parishad with 32 seats. Along with its NDA ally, the JDS, which has 9 seats, they have managed to prevent the government from passing certain bills.<\/p>\n
However, in the upcoming polls, Congress is slated to win seven out of the 11 seats because of its substantial majority in the legislative assembly. The BJP and the JDS\u00a0though are expected\u00a0to secure three and one seat(s)\u00a0respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the strength of each political party in the assembly, Congress should get seven seats in the upcoming elections. As far as the graduates and\u00a0teachers\u2019\u00a0constituency elections are concerned, we are likely to win\u00a0a majority\u00a0of the seats despite a close fight from the BJP-JDS alliance,\u201d\u00a0said BL Shankar, a Congress spokesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n
- \n
- Also read: Lok Sabha Elections: Ex-Punjab CM Amarinder Singh\u2019s absence from the campaign adds to BJP woes<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Currently, Congress holds only one seat in the said quota. Despite this, each party is confident of winning most of the\u00a0graduates\u2019\u00a0and\u00a0teachers\u2019\u00a0constituencies\u2019\u00a0seats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BJP spokesperson S Prakash commented,\u00a0\u201cThe BJP has always\u00a0had an upper hand\u00a0in the\u00a0graduates\u2019\u00a0and\u00a0teachers\u2019\u00a0constituencies. As the ruling party, they will claim to win most seats. Any political party has to be hopeful and claim any numbers favourable to them. But the records have been in our preference.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, Political Analyst Harish Ramaswamy argued that JDS will be a losing factor in the alliance.\u00a0\u201cThe first thing is that the JDS and BJP alliance is not liked by\u00a0many,\u00a0because they have understood that this has taken away the identity of JDS. Number two is the Prajwal Revanna incident\u00a0which\u00a0has hurt the sentiments of a lot of people. And number three, most people supporting JDS, especially in the Vokkaliga belt, feel the party\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0sustain in the future.\u201d\u00a0He added that the JDS has always sensed its diminishing power, which is not\u00a0good\u00a0for Karnataka because the state needs a third alternative. The tieup with BJP has made\u00a0JDS\u2019\u00a0revival more unlikely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commenting on the MLC elections, Ramaswamy said,\u00a0\u201cYeah, this is quite possible. They have a majority,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0one thing. Also, the mood\u00a0is in favor of\u00a0them, especially concerning the graduates constituencies.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
A clearer picture on who will control the upper house is likely to emerge after the conclusion of the current round of polls.<\/p>\n
(With inputs from BL Intern Nivasini Azagappan)\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
- Also read: Lok Sabha Elections: Ex-Punjab CM Amarinder Singh\u2019s absence from the campaign adds to BJP woes<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n