Flanked by Rahul Gandhi, Kharge files Rajya Sabha nomination

Bengaluru: Accompanied by Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election from Karnataka at Vidhana Soudha Friday.Chief minister DK Shivakumar, former CM Siddaramaiah, Congress general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala and several ministers were present when Kharge handed in his nomination papers to assembly secretary MK Vishalakshi. Kharge’s current tenure in the Upper House of Parliament — where he is opposition leader — ends on June 25.Besides Kharge, Congress has fielded two other candidates for the June 18 election from Karnataka — Pawan Khera, who is party media and publicity department chairman; and Mansoor Ali Khan, AICC secretary, educationist and son of Congress veteran and former Union minister K Rahman Khan.“All MLAs and my leaders have unanimously chosen me, and I am confident that everyone will remain united and ensure victory for Congress candidates,” Kharge said.Polls will be held for four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka. Given its numerical strength in the assembly, Congress is expected to win three, while the BJP-JD(S) alliance is likely to win the fourth.Kharge’s nomination marks another chapter in a political career spanning more than five decades. He won nine consecutive assembly elections from Gurmitkal between 1972 and 2008 before moving to national politics. He later won the Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 and 2014, suffering his only major electoral defeat in the 2019 elections. In 2020, Kharge entered the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka unopposed and subsequently rose to become Congress president while continuing to lead the party in Parliament.Meanwhile, BJP is yet to announce its nominee from Karnataka. Political attention remains focused on former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda, whose Rajya Sabha term has ended. Though BJP is widely expected to back Gowda for another term, the delay in announcing its candidate has triggered speculation over whether the party may instead field one of its own members. Names doing the rounds include former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh and former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda, although party brass has not ruled out a surprise choice. In all, polling will be held for 24 seats across 10 states. Nominations close on Monday.