The Congress on Tuesday won all three seats it contested in Karnataka for the Rajya Sabha, while the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged one seat in the ongoing elections to the Upper House of Parliament.
Congress candidates Ajay Maken, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain and GC Chandrashekhar won with 47, 46 and 46 votes respectively, ANI reported. On the other hand, BJP candidate Narayana Bandage won the lone saffron party seat.
"I thank my leadership, especially Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar. They worked very hard, they had faith in us. Here, they were closely watching the movements of BJP and JD(S), they didn't allow our MLAs to fall prey to their tactics," Naseer Hussain, one of the winning Congress candidates, said on his victory.
Five candidates were in the fray for the four seats in the elections, including JD(S) contestant D Kupendra Reddy. The elections were marred by cross-voting. While one of the BJP MLAs, S T Somashekar, voted for the Congress's Maken, the other, A Shivaram Hebbar, abstained.
Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar hailed the Rajya Sabha election victory, saying,""This shows the unity and integrity of Congress. I thank all the MLAs, party workers and the media. I'm very happy to inform you that all Congress candidates have won. I thank all voters, CM and party workers and the AICC President also. I would like to thank Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge."
“This is a decisive victory for INDIA. This is a decisive defeat of those who want to corrupt the democratic process through the sale and purchase of legislators... This victory of principles, ideals, morality and numbers,” Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
The Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka were marred with cross-voting as BJP MLA ST Somashekar voted for Maken.
“I will vote in favour of those who assure me and give confidence that they will give funds for the water and other management in my constituency,” Somashekar had said before voting for the Congress leader. The BJP has said it will take action against its legislator.
“It is confirmed that ST Somashekar has cross-voted. We are discussing what can be done and what action to be taken,” Doddanagouda G. Patil, the BJP chief whip, said.
(With agency inputs)