While the Congress has decided not to field any candidate, the BJP is expected to take a decision today, the last day for filing nominations.
The Karnataka Congress Party has announced to extend support to the Rashtriya Nava Nirmana Vedike candidate against Deve Gowda.
Last Sunday, Karnataka Congress Party leader S Bangarappa met Hegde to finalise a strategy to foil the Prime Minister's chances in the election.
The Prime Minister flew down to Bangalore last evening to file his papers, even as Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel and a few Gowda loyalist are busy garnering support of MLAs of all political parties.
Vishwanatha Reddy Mudnal, a senior Rashtriya Nava Nirmana Vedike functionary and former minister from northern Karnataka, said We will not allow Deve Gowda to get elected unopposed.
Talking to reporters last evening, Mudnal said We are in touch with the BJP, KCP and Congress legislators to evolve a common strategy to defeat the Prime Minister.
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He said If the other political party leaders accept, I myself may contest.
Mudnal claimed over 28 ruling Janata Dal MLAs have evinced interest in sponsoring the RNNV nominee.
He said The combined opposition nominee will file his papers minutes before the closure of acceptance of nominations on Wednesday to keep the Dal brass guessing till the last minute.
Legislature secretary Iqbal Sharief said so far, not a single nomination paper has been filed. Sharief is also the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha bye-election.
He said a candidate would need 109 MLAs' support to win. The effective strength of the assembly stands at 216 after resignation of several Lok Sabha MPs and slaying of Chittarnajan, BJP MLA from Bhatkal.
Devegowda who is yet to quit his assembly seat, is not expected to resign as an MLA until Rajya Sabha is over. Thus, he has earned himself the unique distinction of not just a Prime Minister who enters Parliament through the backdoor, but also the first Prime Minister to cast a vote for himself.
The ruling party has 109 members. Along with the support of Independents and breakaway KCP, DAl can expect support of 121 members.
While the BJP has 38 members, the Congress has 36 plus three rebels supporting it.
Mudnal said if Rashtriya Nava Nirmana Vedike could muster support of 30 Dal members We will be in a position to upset Gowda's apple cart.
Regarding its decision not to field any candidate, the Congress sources said Finally, we may leave it to our MLAs to decide what they want since boycotting the bye-poll automatically means supporting Dal nominee Deve Gowda, which will hurt us in the hustings.