With the potential to upset equations in K’taka and Rajasthan.
In an otherwise routine exercise, last-minute entry of two noted industrialists has added a new twist to the Rajya Sabha polls. Liquor baron and chairman of the UB group, Vijay Mallya and former industrialist and coal minister Santosh Bagrodia today filed their nominations as independent candidates from Karnataka and Rajasthan, respectively. Bagrodia has spent 18 years in the Rajya Sabha as a Congress MP.
While Mallya is depending on the support of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular), Bagrodia’s support base is not clear. In Rajasthan, the Congress has already fielded three candidates, including Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma.
The biennial polls will take place on June 17. Both candidates have the potential to upset equations in the two states. the Congress has fielded T V Maruthi — another industrialist — as its second candidate from Karnataka. Maruthi too, needs votes of JD(S) to secure his seat and will be pitted against Mallya for the additional votes from Deve Gowda’s party. The former PM, so far, has refused to entertain any Congress candidate and has forced the Congress leadership to drop its sitting MP B K Hariprasad, from the re-nomination race.
Mallya would also require votes of the ruling BJP to return to the Rajya Sabha after a gap of three years. He was an independent MP in the Upper House during 2002-2008. The BJP has already fielded its former party chief, M Venkaiah Naidu, and state leader Ayanur Manjunath. After securing the victory of its two official candidates, the BJP will have 32 surplus votes.
“If I was not confident, I would not have filed the nomination,” Mallya said, flanked by JD(S) state president and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.
Bagrodia, however, refused to speak on his chances of winning. He told Business Standard, “I will not say anything now. There can be major developments during the withdrawal of nominations. I will talk about the contest after the nomination withdrawal process is over.”
Meanwhile, Mallya insisted that he has not sought support from any political party. “I have not contacted anybody. I am going by Kumaraswamy’s guidance. But wait till June 17, things will be clear,” he told reporters.
After the entry of Santosh Bagdodiya, five candidates are in the fray for the four seats of Rajya Sabha election in Rajasthan.
