Secures support from JD(S); needs 17 more votes to win
Vijay Mallya, 54, liquor baron and chairman of UB Group, today entered the fray for Rajya Sabha by-polls from
Karnataka as an independent candidate. He filed his nomination papers for the fourth seat in the by-polls for Rajya Sabha, to be held on June 17.
Mallya, who is seeking election to the RS for the second time, has secured the support of JD(S), which has 27 votes and he needs another 17 votes. Varthur Prakash, an independent legislator in the state assembly, who has recognised himself with the JD(S), has also supported Mallya.
Talking to reporters after filing his nomination papers here today, Mallya said, “There is nothing dramatically different about it. JD(S) supported me first time too. I have their support this time also. If I were not confident about victory,
I would not have been here to file the nomination papers. I am looking forward to the election.”
The JD(S) had supported Mallya in 2002 elections to the Rajya Sabha.
In the 224 member state assembly, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has 116 members, followed by the Congress, which has 74 members, and JD(S) has 28 members and there are six independents, of which five have supported BJP and one has identified himself with JD(S).
The BJP has fielded Ayanur Manjunath, former MP from Shimoga and national leader Venkaiah Naidu. Apart from voting for these candidates, the BJP will have 26 surplus votes and the support of five independents.
Congress has fielded AICC secretary and former Union minister Oscar Fernandes and given the second ticket to T V Maruthi, a silk merchant from Bangalore as the second candidate. The party will have 29 surplus votes and it requires 16 votes to elect its second candidate. Each candidate requires 45 votes to get elected to the Rajya Sabha.
While the election of Manjunath and Naidu from BJP and Fernandes from Congress is certain, Mallya is now locked in a battle with Maruthi of Congress. With the alliance between Congress and JD(S) falling apart, it is almost certain Mallya will sail through with support of the BJP.
Born in Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district, Mallya entered the political fray in 2000, replacing Subramanian Swamy as president of Janata Party. He was first elected to Rajya Sabha in 2002.
