Congress announces Rajya Sabha candidates, places a check on Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU: The Congress’ national leadership has partially endorsed Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s selection of candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls from the state, but has also imposed a visible check on his unilateral decision-making powers.

Siddaramaiah had suggested that the AHINDA (minorities, backward classes and Dalits) formula, which has worked successfully for him and for the Congress party, be applied to the Rajya Sabha seats for which polls are being held on March 23. The Congress is in a position to win three out of the four.

This suggestion has been accepted, along with his insistence that all candidates should belong to the state. However, the party’s national leadership has picked two candidates -- national spokesperson Naseer Hussain and Karnataka state unit president G Parameshwara’s former political secretary G C Chandrashekar -- who do not figure in Siddaramaiah’s list, though they do conform to the AHINDA formula.


“It is an indication to Siddaramaiah that all his wishes will not be granted without any checks,” a party leader in New Delhi told ET. The inclusion of Chandrashekar, a Vokkaliga, over the CM’s suggestion of realtor Channa Reddy, in particularly, is a point scored by Parameshwara over Siddaramaiah.

Still, Siddaramaiah’s suggestion of former MLC L Hanumantaiah, who belongs to the scheduled caste (left sub-sect), has been accepted. This despite the lobbying in New Delhi for former Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar, who also belongs to the same sub-sect, for this seat.

The BJP, which is in a position to win one seat, has announced that businessman and outgoing MP Rajeev Chandrashekar as the party candidate.

There will be an election for the four seats, however, as the Janata Dal (S) has fielded realtor B M Farookh, despite not having sufficient numbers to elect him.