Kharge, Gowda to be joint RS candidates?

Bengaluru: The Congress and JD (S), which had fallen out just seven months back leading to the collapse of the coalition government in Karnataka, seem to be coming close again with the unity likely to be firmed up during the Rajya Sabha elections due in May this year to send political stalwarts Mallikarjun Kharge (Congress) and former prime minister and JD(S) supremo, H.D. Deve Gowda to the Upper House.

Four sitting Rajya Sabha members, Rajeev Gowda, B.K. Hariprasad (both Congress), Kupendra Reddy (JD-S) and Prabhakar Kore (BJP) are due to retire by then on completion of their six-year term.

The minimum votes required to win a RS seat in Karnataka is 45. The Congress party with 68 seats can comfortably elect one candidate but the JD (S) with just 34, cannot elect a candidate on its own. Sources in the Congress said that a plan is being worked out by the two parties ahead of the RS polls to make sure both Mr Kharge   and Mr Gowda, who lost the Parliament elections last year,  go to the RS.