Amid high drama, the ruling Congress in Karnataka won three Rajya Sabha seats—G.C. Chandrashekhar (46 votes), Naseer Hussain (42 votes) and L. Hanumanthaiah (44 votes)—and the BJP candidate and sitting MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar won with 50 votes.
The JD(S), which had fielded a lone candidate despite not having the required number of MLAs, boycotted the polls citing 'election malpractice', after two Congress MLAs were given a second chance to cast their ballots. A total of 185 valid votes were polled, including two from the JD(S) cast before the boycott, though the current strength of the Legislative Assembly is 217.
Interestingly, the JD(S) had to forego the seat for the second time as seven rebel MLAs cross-voted once again in favour of the Congress Party. The official candidate of the JD(S)—B.M. Farook,who had contested the RS polls in 2016—tasted defeat for the second time, due to the rebel camp, which has openly identified itself with the Congress, but not quit the party. The JD(S) alleges the Assembly speaker has not yet acted on the status of these rebel MLAs.
Two senior Congress MLAs being given a second ballot paper caused a commotion inside the polling booth when JD(S) objected to it. Though the two votes were eventually declared “invalid” (along with two other votes) by the Election Commission, it was enough for the regional party to boycott the polls after petitioning the EC seeking countermanding of the elections.
An embarrassed Congress maintained that the veterans had 'inadvertently' made a mistake while voting due to “old age.” Meanwhile, the JD(S) alleged the duo had cross-voted and it was no case of 'error' but a proof of the “internal turmoil” of the Congress party.
Former speaker and revenue minister Kagodu Thimmappa (86) and former minister Baburao Chinchansur (70) sought a second ballot paper, stating they had made an error. According to JD(S) members, the Congress polling agent noticed that the two had cross-voted and insisted that the MLAs cast a second ballot. This triggered a war of words between the JD(S) and the Congress members. Eventually, the matter was referred to the Election Commission, which immediately sacked the returning officer and resumed polling.
Unhappy with the Congress for harbouring rebels from his party, JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy warned that the Congress would start worrying about JD(S). “The Congress party will perish if we simply stand with the BJP and cough,” mocked Kumaraswamy.
“Congress must remember that it is the B-team of the JD(S),” taunted Kumaraswamy, hitting back at AICC president Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks over JDS being a “B-team” of the BJP.
In 2004, the Congress Party had joined hands with the JD(S) to form a coalition government despite the BJP emerging as the single largest party. However, Kumaraswamy withdrew support and struck a coalition with the BJP in 2006.
The souring relations between the Congress and the JDS (which share power in Bengaluru city civic body) is hinting at a strong possibility of the regional party aligning with the saffron party, which is yet to find the confidence that it can secure a clear majority in the April-May elections.