Bengaluru: All 11 candidates from the ruling Congress as well as the opposition BJP and JD-S, who filed their nominations for the biennial Karnataka Legislative Council polls, were declared elected unopposed on Thursday.
“The last date to withdraw the nomination was June 6. The candidates were supposed to take back nomination by 3 p.m. There was no withdrawal and 11 candidates remained in the fray for 11 posts and I declare them as winners,” Karnataka Legislative Council Secretary and returning officer M.K. Vishalakshi said in a statement.
As per the existing strength of parties in the Assembly, the Congress could win seven seats, the BJP three, and the JD-S.
The Congress had fielded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Dr S. Yathindra, Science and Technology and Minor Irrigation Minister N.S. Boseraju, CM’s Political Advisor K. Govindaraj, Jagadeva Guttedar, Karnataka Minorities Commission Chairperson Balkhees Banu, state Congress unit Working President Vasantha Kumar, and former MLC Ivan D’Souza.
The BJP candidates were sitting MLC and Opposition Chief Whip N. Ravikumar, former BJP national General Secretary C.T. Ravi and senior Maratha leader Mule Maruti Rao, while the JD-S candidate was T.N. Javarayi Gowda.
R.M. Asif Pasha of the Congress had also filed his nomination but it was rejected.
–IANS