SM Krishna loses Rajya Sabha seat to IIM-B prof

The Congress on Monday gave the ticket to an Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore professor, Rajeev Gowda, instead of Krishna. Gowda's nomination was opposed by supporters of Krishna, who was said to be in the race till as late as Sunday.

Former external affairs minister SM Krishna’s political career seems to have hit a dead end.

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The 83-year-old, who was denied a Lok Sabha ticket by the Congress, has lost out on a Rajya Sabha seat as well.

The Congress on Monday gave the ticket to an Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore (IIM-B) professor, Rajeev Gowda, instead of Krishna. Gowda's nomination was opposed by supporters of Krishna, who was said to be in the race till as late as Sunday.

Uncertainty over who would be the Congress nominee prevailed even till early Monday, which was the last day for filing nomination papers.

Gowda reached the returning officer's chamber at the last moment to file his papers and put all doubts to rest. He left to meet Krishna immediately after he filed his nomination.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G Parameshwara, who filed his nomination for the Legislative Council on Monday, told HT, "I am pained. He (Krishna) should have been given the ticket. He introduced Bangalore and Karnataka to the world. He has the strength and capacity to continue. I don't know what happened."

The BJP, which has 43 MLAs, re-nominated incumbent Prabhakar Kore, who is a prominent member of the politically influential Lingayat community. The JD(S), which has 40 MLAs, has backed realtor Kupendra Reddy, who was part of the Congress till last week.