Bengaluru, 8 June

The ruling Congress in Karnataka on Monday took a dig at the BJP, accusing the party of denying a Rajya Sabha nomination to JD (S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda from the state for a subsequent term.

The grand old party also claimed that the BJP insulted the people of Karnataka by denying Gowda the Rajya Sabha nomination.

Late on Sunday, the BJP announced Prof M Nagaraja as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Karnataka, where the party can win one of the four seats going to polls on 18 June, based on its current strength in the Assembly.

The polls were necessary because four MPs, including Gowda, are retiring later this month. The JD (S), an ally of the BJP, was reportedly hoping the latter would re-nominate its supremo to the Rajya Sabha.

"Yesterday in the dead of the night, the BJP denied a Rajya Sabha nomination to former Prime Minister, HD Deve Gowda, deciding to choose its state Vice President Incharge of District Building Construction, M Nagaraja, over Ex PM," senior party leader and Congress in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala posted on 'X'.

"The constant humiliation heaped upon JD (S) by BJP and its leadership and its repeated acceptance by HD Kumaraswamy merely for sticking to a ministerial chair at any cost is highly astonishing and eye-opening. Furthermore, accepting this insult is an absolute extreme," he said.

Kumaraswamy is the son of Deve Gowda and union minister for Heavy Industries.

Pointing out that in the May 2019 General Elections, BJP's G S Basavaraju had defeated Deve Gowda in Tumakuru Lok Sabha segment, the AICC leader said that the Congress and its leader Sonia Gandhi, despite their political differences and respecting his status as former PM who hailed from Karnataka, extended support to elect Gowda to the upper house.

"In fact, Gowda had earlier said and maintained his strong opposition to the BJP, going to the extent of publicly stating that he would disown Kumaraswamy if he joined hands with the BJP," he said.

Despite all these claims, in October 2023, JD (S) and Kumaraswamy entered into an alliance with the BJP, and the latter became a Union Minister in the PM Modi government with the Heavy Industries portfolio, he further said. Now, the BJP has "denied" a Rajya Sabha nomination to Gowda, choosing its leader over the former PM.

"This tells us - power at any cost, power at all costs is the one and only motto of JD(S) in Karnataka now," he added.

State Congress President B K Hariprasad said the way the BJP denied Deve Gowda the Rajya Sabha seat is an insult not only to him or the regional party, but also to the people of Karnataka.

"The BJP and the NDA have insulted the people of Karnataka. No one expected them to betray like this after taking the support of JD (S) and Deve Gowda for passing various Bills in the Parliament. People will punish the BJP in the days ahead," he told reporters.

Stating that Congress has nothing to do with who the BJP and JD (S) give their poll tickets, as it is their party policy, Home Minister Priyank Kharge told reporters, "But, one thing should be understood-- the alliance between the two parties is not on a strong wicket."

Four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka are going to polls as the terms of Iranna Kadadi and Narayana Koragappa (both from the BJP), Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, and Deve Gowda end on 25 June.

Congress, which can win three seats based on its strength in the Assembly, has once again fielded Kharge. It has also nominated AICC Secretary Mansoor Ali Khan and the party's Media and Publicity Department chairperson, Pawan Khera.

The ruling party has 135 MLAs in the 224-member House, followed by the BJP at 62. The JD (S) has 18 MLAs.

Members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will vote in the RS elections.