The election to the fourth Rajya Sabha seat could become a cliffhanger for candidates of the three political parties as back channel talks between the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) to withdraw Congress candidate from the fray failed, raising fears of cross voting.
With Friday being the last date for withdrawal of nominations for the elections to be held on June 10, none of the three candidates withdrew from the race, much against speculations over some understanding between Congress and JD(S). In a last ditch attempt, JD(S) leaders had communicated to Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge to convince the Congress high command to withdraw their second candidate Mansoor Ali Khan from the race. Mr. Khan is now pitted against Lahar Singh Siroya of BJP and Kupendra Reddy of JD(S).
The JD(S) and Congress were seeking each others candidate to withdraw to ensure victory of an Opposition candidate, the BJP seems to have an edge in the present scenario, political observers believe. In the three other seats, BJP’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and film actor Jaggesh, and Congress’s senior leader Jairam Ramesh are set to win.
