"There are groups in Congress, but they will vote for party": Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi as MLC polls underway
Bengaluru, June 18
Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi acknowledged the existence of groups within the Congress party in the state but asserted that all legislators would vote for Congress candidates and expressed confidence of winning all five seats contested by the party, as voting for seven seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council commenced on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters after arriving at the Vidhana Soudha to cast his vote, Jarkiholi said, "All five contestants will win, there is no doubt. We have the numbers necessary to win."
Admitting the presence of factions within the Congress in Karnataka, he said, "Yes, there are groups in Congress, but they will still vote for the party."
Congress MLA and former minister Santosh Lad expressed confidence that all five candidates fielded by the party would secure victory comfortably.
He said, "We are very confident, and according to me, all five candidates will win comfortably."
Congress MLA Dinesh Gundurao also expressed confidence that the party would win all five seats, asserting that the Congress has sufficient numbers in the Assembly.
Gundurao said, "We will win all 5 seats with our own votes. We took our MLAs yesterday, where mock voting was also held. We have enough numbers."
Congress MLA KN Rajanna claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision to reallocate votes in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections indicated that the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate was headed for defeat.
Rajanna said, "Due to the confirmation of defeat of the JD(S) candidate, the BJP has re-allocated the number of votes. It shows that the JD(S) candidate will lose."
Voting for 7 seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council began at 9 AM at Vidhana Soudha and will continue till 4 PM.
Two polling booths have been set up inside the state secretariat to facilitate secret voting by MLAS.
The polls were necessitated by the upcoming retirement of seven MLCS whose terms conclude on June 30.
The outgoing members include Congress's Govindaraju, Naseer Ahmed, Thippannappa, and B.K. Hariprasad, as well as BJP's M.T.B. Nagaraju, Prathap Simha Nayak, and Sunil Vallyapur.
In the 75-member Upper House, Congress currently has 37 seats, while the BJP has 29, while JD(S) has seven seats, followed by one Independent member, and the Chairman. Through these elections, the Congress aims to further bolster its tally in the Council.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting to see Congress MLAs so confident about winning all 5 seats. Dinesh Gundurao even mentioned mock voting - that shows they've done their homework. But let's be honest, these MLC elections are more about internal party management than real democracy. Jaati aur regional politics ka khel hai yeh. 🤷♀️
Jarkiholi's comment about groups in Congress is actually quite honest for a politician. In Karnataka, Congress has always had factions - Siddaramaiah camp, DK Shivakumar camp, and others. But when it comes to elections, they unite. That's the beauty (or curse) of our political system. Hope they focus on development rather than just power games!
The way KN Rajanna is claiming that BJP reallocated votes because JD(S) candidate will lose - that's just political rhetoric. 😂 Everyone knows cross-voting happens in these elections. Let's see if Congress really has the numbers they claim. Only time will tell if their confidence is justified or just hot air!
Honestly, these MLC elections feel like a formality most of the time. The real question is whether having more seats in the Council will actually help Congress deliver better governance in Karnataka. So far, the focus seems more on political maneuvering than on public welfare. Thoda toh ground level par kaam karo! 🙏
Seen this movie before - Congress says they'll win, BJP says they'll win, but in the end, it's all about horse trading and backroom deals
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.