Bengaluru: The BJP has opted for a new face for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election from Karnataka, dealing a setback to ally JD(S), which had hoped for another term for former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda.
With Deve Gowda’s Rajya Sabha tenure nearing completion, there had been speculation within JD(S) circles that the veteran leader could return to the Upper House with the support of the BJP-JD(S) alliance. However, the BJP leadership has reportedly decided to back M. Nagaraj, signalling its preference for fresh faces.
The move is seen as a blow to JD(S) calculations and effectively rules out, for now, Deve Gowda’s re-entry into the Rajya Sabha.
Party sources also indicated that the BJP has finalised the names of Lingaraj and Raghu Kautilya for the vacant Legislative Council seats.
Earlier, Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy had maintained that the Rajya Sabha nomination was an internal matter of the BJP and said no pressure should be exerted on the party over ticket allocation.
Despite those remarks, many within JD(S) were hopeful that Deve Gowda would be renominated to the Upper House. The BJP’s decision to field a new candidate has now altered those expectations and sparked fresh political discussion within the alliance.
