Karnataka MLC polls: Congress confident of winning 5 seats says Jarkiholi

Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi admitted to 'groups' in the state Congress but expressed confidence the party would win all 5 seats in the MLC polls. Other Congress leaders echoed this sentiment, aiming to bolster their tally in the Upper House.

Congress Confident of MLC Poll Sweep Despite 'Groups'

Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi acknowledged the existence of groups within the Congress party in the state but asserted that all legislators would vote for Congress candidates and expressed confidence of winning all five seats contested by the party, as voting for seven seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council commenced on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after arriving at the Vidhana Soudha to cast his vote, Jarkiholi said, "All five contestants will win, there is no doubt. We have the numbers necessary to win." Admitting the presence of factions within the Congress in Karnataka, he said, "Yes, there are groups in Congress, but they will still vote for the party."

Congress MLA and former minister Santosh Lad expressed confidence that all five candidates fielded by the party would secure victory comfortably. He said, "We are very confident, and according to me, all five candidates will win comfortably."

Congress MLA Dinesh Gundurao also expressed confidence that the party would win all five seats, asserting that the Congress has sufficient numbers in the Assembly. Gundurao said, "We will win all 5 seats with our own votes. We took our MLAs yesterday, where mock voting was also held. We have enough numbers."

Congress MLA KN Rajanna claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision to reallocate votes in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections indicated that the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate was headed for defeat. Rajanna said, "Due to the confirmation of defeat of the JD(S) candidate, the BJP has re-allocated the number of votes. It shows that the JD(S) candidate will lose."

Voting Details and Council Stakes

Voting for 7 seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council began at 9 AM at Vidhana Soudha and will continue till 4 PM. Two polling booths have been set up inside the state secretariat to facilitate secret voting by MLAS.

The polls were necessitated by the upcoming retirement of seven MLCS whose terms conclude on June 30. The outgoing members include Congress's Govindaraju, Naseer Ahmed, Thippannappa, and B.K. Hariprasad, as well as BJP's M.T.B. Nagaraju, Prathap Simha Nayak, and Sunil Vallyapur.

In the 75-member Upper House, Congress currently has 37 seats, while the BJP has 29, while JD(S) has seven seats, followed by one Independent member, and the Chairman. Through these elections, the Congress aims to further bolster its tally in the Council. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)