Rajya Sabha Polls 2020: HD Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge And 2 Others Elected Unopposed

The elections were slated for June 19 to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka. All the four Rajya Sabha candidates who were in the fray for many berths, were elected after the last date of withdrawal of candidature.

Former PM and JDS Chief H.D. Deve Gowda enters the Rajya Sabha for the second time. (File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and two Bharatiya Janata party leaders Ashok Gasti and Irana Kadadi were declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka on Friday. All the four Rajya Sabha candidates who were in the fray for many berths, were elected after the last date of withdrawal of candidature.  The elections were slated for June 19 to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from the state. The seats were represented by two congress leaders Rajeev Gowda and B K Hariprasad, Prabhakar Kore of BJP and D Kupendra Reddy of JD(S) that will fall vacant on June 25 with their retirement. However, Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary and the returning officer for the polls, M K Vishalakshi, announced the candidature of Gowda and Kharge from JD(S) and Congress, and Iranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti from BJP as "validly nominated". The official declared the results after the end of the last date of withdrawal of nomination, which was Friday, as there were no other candidates. "Gowda, Kharge, Gasti and Kadadi have been duly elected unanimously to fill the seats in the Upper House in place of Kupendra Reddy of the JD-S, B.K. Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda of the Congress, and Prabhakar Kore of the BJP, who are retiring on June 25 on the expiration of their term of office," returning officer M.K. Vishalakshi said in a statement. With the BJP having 117 legislators, including the speaker, victory of Gasti and Kadadi was a formality. As Kharge was the only candidate the Congress fielded, his win was also assured as the party has 68 legislators. Gowda enters the Rajya Sabha for the second time, 24 years after he was elected when he was Prime Minister of India from June 1996 to April 1997. Kharge, 77, enters the Upper House for the first time a year after he lost in the 2019 general election from the Gulbarga reserved Lok Sabha seat in the state's northern region to BJP's Umesh Yadav. Usually, a minimum of 45 votes are required for a candidate to win. However, this time, voting will not be necessitated as no other party fielded any other nominee and limited their contest to the number of seats they win on the basis of strength in the assembly. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Nabam Rebia from Arunachal Pradesh won the lone Rajya Sabha seat on Friday as there was no other contestant. Nabam was announced as winner after the time for withdrawal of nomination ended on Friday.