Will Kupendra Reddy, his money power, change RS poll arithmetic in Karnataka?

With only five days left for the Rajya Sabha polls, scheduled for February 27, the entry of multi-millionaire real estate baron D Kupendra Reddy as the fifth candidate from BJP and JD (S) combine, will now require five candidates to slug it out for the four Karnataka seats.

Had the BJP and JD(S) combine not fielded Kupendra Reddy, it would have been a clear passage to Rajya Sabha for three Congress and one BJP candidates.

Horse trading charges

Upset with the move of JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and the BJP, the Congress in Karnataka has accused the parties of horse-trading. The Congress has filed a complaint with the police accusing the BJP of poaching MLAs even before the scheduled election to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka.

Speaking to The Federal, a senior Congress leader said, “Two independent legislators and two others from local parties are being offered a whopping sum in crores. Of these four, two independent MLAs and one from a local party have promised to back Congress candidates. And Kupendra Reddy is trying to lure them with money”.

The BJP has rubbished the allegations of the Congress.

Dismissing the charges of horse trading against him, Kupendra Reddy asserted that he “has every right to campaign to get votes of Independent MLAs”.

Kupendra Reddy, 64, is a well-known businessman with a declared wealth of about ₹1,200 crore. Interestingly he was associated with the Congress earlier. In the recent years though, he has emerged as a confidant of Kumaraswamy. He also played a key role in JD(S) joining hands with the BJP. He accompanied Kumaraswamy during the former’s meeting with Amit Shah and JP Nadda. As a land developer, Reddy has connections with all political parties.

Congress targets Kumaraswamy

Deputy Chief Minister and Congress president D K Shivakumar has claimed that he has credible information on Kumaraswamy making offers to Congress MLAs to cross-vote in the Rajya Sabha polls.

“We are aware of Kumaraswamy making calls to Congress MLAs and they in turn informing us about the offers they are getting from the JD(S) leader. We are also aware of the plan being hatched by top BJP leaders,” Shivakumar told reporters.

Shivakumar says the BJP and the JD(S) fielded the fifth candidate without giving much thought to it. He says the parties are most-likely banking on cross-voting.

JD(S) will fall prey to cross-voting: Cong

However, Congress spokesperson Ramesh Babu said that it is likely that Reddy will face a shortage of at least nine votes. “Congress has taken all steps to foil the plans of Opposition parties,” he said.

Another Congress leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the tables will likely turn against the JD(S) given its history of cross-voting. “On February 27, many of its MLAs are likely to cross vote in favour of the Congress and it is JD(S) which will be in trouble again. And Congress has no fears of losing in the Rajya Sabha polls,” the leader said.

Vote mathematics

The controversy surrounding the four seats – which will fall vacant on April 2 after the retirement of its incumbent members – came to the fore after the entry of JD(S)’s Reddy as the fifth candidate.

A party needs 46 MLA votes to send one of its leaders to the Rajya Sabha. Congress, which has 135 MLAs, has also assured to support two independent MLAs and Darshan Puttanniah, an MLA from the Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha. This voting strength is enough for Congress to retain its three seats that will fall vacant in the upper house of the Parliament. But if these three MLAs vote for Kupendra Reddy, the Congress may lose the seats to BJP and JD(S) which have a combined strength of 85 MLAs. The BJP and JD(S) are banking on preferential votes that may tilt the balance in the Rajya Sabha polls.

As of today, Congress holds three of the four seats and has opted to retain Syed Naseer Hussain, and field former Union minister Ajay Maken in place of Dalit writer L Hanumanthaiah. BJP is fielding Narayana Bhandage in place of Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekar.