The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Central Election Committee took control of the candidate selection for forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka and has selected the party’s grassroot workers.

The candidates selected are: Eranna Kadadi, organisational in-charge leaders for Belagavi and Ashok Gasthi from Ballari zones.

The party’s central committee bulldozed the State core committee recommendation of educationist Prabhakar Kore, who was seeking renomination; Prakash Shetty, a hotelier from Mangaluru and Ramesh Katti, thebrother of disgruntled leader Umesh Katti, who is upset over not getting a ministerial berth.

The choice of the leaders is said to give representation to microscopic minorities. Kadadi belongs to the Panchamashali sect in Lingayat community while Gasthi has served as the Chairman of Karnataka Backward Classes Commission and belongs to the backward Savitha Samaja community.

Congress and JDS

Congress has fielded its veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. AICC President, Sonia Gandhi, spoke to former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Sunday and expressed support for his candidature. The JDS, based on the Congress’ support, is fielding Gowda.

The last date fo file nominations is June 9 and the BJP’s decision to field only two candidates is likely to result in elections of all the four candidates unopposed without any need for polls if no other candidate files nominations.

The results are scheduled to be announced on June 19 to fill four seats from Karnataka which fell vacant following the completion of term of Rajeev Gowda and BK Hariprasad of the Congress, Prabhakar Kore of the BJP and D Kupendra Reddy of the JDS, The seats fall vacant on June 25.

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