Bengaluru: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has announced the fifth Congress candidate for the ensuing biennial elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council, to be elected by Members of the Legislative Assembly.
According to an official press release, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the candidature of Vinay Karthik as the party’s fifth nominee for the upcoming polls.
AICC General Secretary (Organisation) and MP K.C. Venugopal announced it on Friday.
The biennial elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council, where members are elected by MLAs, are expected to see the Congress fielding its full slate of candidates as part of its electoral strategy.
Vinay Karthik is close to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. He has served as the coordinator and treasurer of the Congress party’s Karnataka unit.
It can be recalled that the Congress announced its candidates for four of the seven seats going to the polls in Karnataka on Wednesday.
The list, released by the AICC, includes B.K. Hariprasad, P.V. Mohan, Shivanna Malavalli, and Tippannappa Kamakanur.
The candidate selection has drawn attention as the Congress has fielded members from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) for all four seats. The move is being viewed as a significant political decision by the party ahead of the elections.
With the announcement, B.K. Hariprasad and Tippannappa Kamakanur have been retained for another term, while the Congress has given opportunities to two new faces for the remaining seats.
It can be noted that Hariprasad has been named as the State Congress President. The four candidates will be elected to the State Legislative Council through voting by MLAs.
Elections have been notified to fill seven vacant seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council following the retirement of sitting members.
The election notification was issued by Karnataka Assembly Secretary and Returning Officer M.K. Vishalakshi on Monday.
The vacancies have arisen due to the retirement of Legislative Council members Govindaraju (Congress), Naseer Ahmed (Congress), M.T.B. Nagaraj (BJP), Pratap Simha Nayak (BJP), Tippannappa Kamakanur (Congress), Sunil Valyapure (BJP), and B.K. Hariprasad (Congress).
According to the election schedule, June 8 has been fixed as the last date for filing nominations.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on June 9, while June 11 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.
Polling, if required, will be held on June 18 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. in room 106 of the Vidhana Soudha.
The counting of votes will take place on the same day from 5 p.m. onwards, and the election process will conclude by June 20.
(IANS)
