Ending speculation over nomination of party’s candidates for the Legislative Council election, the Congress on Monday announced Minister for Minor Irrigation N.S. Boseraju, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, and former MLC Thippannappa Kamaknoor as its nominees in the byelection to be held on June 30.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly members will exercise franchise for the three seats that fell vacant owing to resignations of Baburao Chinchansur, Laxman Savadi and R. Shankar, all of whom resigned from BJP to contest in the elections. While Mr. Chinchansur and Mr. Savadi contested from Congress, Mr. Shankar contested from NCP. However, only Mr. Savadi managed to win.
Mr. Shettar, who joined Congress before the Assembly elections, but lost the Hubballi-Dharwad Central seat that he represented six times on BJP ticket, was speculated to get the seat. Once elected, his tenure will run up to June 14, 2028. Mr. Boseraju, who was inducted into the Cabinet despite not being a member of either Houses of the legislature, after getting elected will have a tenure upto June 17, 2024. A former MLC, Mr. Kamaknoor’s term will run till June 30, 2026. He had served as MLC during the erstwhile Congress government for a short term, and is a close associate of AICC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge.
Mr. Chinchansur, who was expecting to be nominated for elections by the Congress, has been denied the seat. Ahead of the Assembly polls in May, he had quit his membership from the Legislative Council and the BJP to rejoin the Congress. He was widely expected to be nominated by the Congress. Party sources, however, said that the decision to not nominate Mr. Chinchansur was conveyed to him before the list was announced. His advanced age and failing health was considered before the list was finalised, party sources said.
