The ruling Congress in Karnataka is on the verge of securing a majority in the 75-member state legislative council, as the party will finally fill up the four vacancies of nominated members.
A clear majority has been eluding the Congress owing to the delay in nominating the members. Factional feud had led to the delay, though three seats (held by C.P. Yogishwar, U.B. Venkatesh and Prakash Rathod) fell vacant in October 2024, and a fourth seat (K.A. Thippeswamy) in January 2025.
The recently concluded monsoon session of the state legislature saw at least two crucial bills being defeated in the upper house, forcing the party to zero in on the four nominees.
With the ruling Congress having only 33 members, NDA 37 (BJP 30 and JDS 7), the lone independent candidate, Lakhan Jarkiholi's vote becomes decisive once the vacancies are filled. Lakhan Jarkiholi, a former BJP member, shares the same equation with both the ruling and the opposition parties, as his elder brothers are in different parties.
If Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi is a senior Congress MLA from Yemakanmardi in Belagavi, former ministers and legislators, Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak) and Balachandra Jarkiholi (Arabhavi), are with the BJP.
The Ruling Congress has now shortlisted these members to balance the caste and regional equation, besides accommodating requests from various factions.
Mysuru-based senior journalist K. Shivakumar (SC-Right) was picked to counter BJP leader and LoP in Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy. Dalit leader F.H. Jakkappanavar (SC-Right) from Hubballi-Dharwad was favoured by AICC chief Mallakarjun Kharge. Congress spokesperson Ramesh Babu (OBC), belonging to the Naidu community, was backed by IT minister Priyank Kharge; and Karnataka NRI Forum deputy chairperson Arathi Krishna (Vokkaliga) was Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's choice, as she is an active member of the Indian Overseas Congress. The nominations are awaiting Governor Thawarchand Gehlot's approval.
With the governor's nod, the Congress will match the strength of the NDA in the upper house and move closer to attaining a majority too. Meanwhile, the NDA members have been vociferous in their criticism of the government and have succeeded in stalling important bills, too.
In the last legislature session, the ruling party faced embarrassing moments after the Karnataka Souharda Cooperative (Amendment) Bill 2025, passed in the assembly, was defeated (23:26 votes) in the Council due to lack of majority, and also due to the absence of MLCs from the ruling party.
The bill was aimed at instilling financial discipline in cooperative societies, and also help the ruling party wrest political control over the grassroots institutions ahead of the local body elections. However, an embarrassed ruling Congress approved the bill in the assembly, returned it to the Council, and got it cleared without debate. The opposition parties had opposed the bill for proposing societies should maintain a statutory liquid ratio of 20 per cent.
The BJP stated that the move could put financial strain on the smaller cooperatives, undermine the autonomy of Souharda coops by enhanced government control, and the annual assets disclosure could discourage grassroots members from contesting elections. The BJP also feared that the proposed reservation (for SC/ST, women and backwards classes) and election reforms would increase political interference in cooperative management.
Also read
- Karnataka: 10 feared dead in bus-truck collision in Chitradurga; most victims burnt alive
- Ousted Karnataka minister Rajanna writes to Rahul Gandhi over 'vote chori' remark fallout, highlights organisational lapses
- 'There was never a deal; will remain CM for full five years': Siddaramaiah's final blow to Shivakumar's CM ambitions?
- Grieving wife donates Bengaluru man's eyes after he dies of heart attack on road awaiting help
Last year, the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Bill 2024, introduced to increase the share of temple income allocated to a common pool for welfare and upkeep of smaller temples, was defeated in the upper house. It was re-introduced and passed in both houses.
Meanwhile, the ruling party is facing the heat in passing crucial legislation in both houses. At least 39 bills were tabled in the latest monsoon session, and 37 were also passed. However, two important bills, including the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing crowd at events and places of gathering) Bill, 2025, were met with stiff opposition from the BJP, stating it would impact protests and religious festivals. The bill was referred to a house committee for a detailed scrutiny.
Similarly, the Karnataka Land Revenue (second amendment) Bill, 2025 was also referred to the house panel after Kodagu MLAs flagged issues related to customary practices of land inheritance and joint family land records prevalent in Kodagu, which did not align with general land legislations.
