JD(S) Rajya Sabha candidate D Kupendra Reddy booked for ‘threatening’ Congress MLAs

D Kupendra Reddy

An FIR has been registered against the JD(S) Rajya Sabha candidate in Karnataka, D Kupendra Reddy, and his aides. A FIR was registered at the Vidhana Soudha police station in Bengaluru, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday, 27 February.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too confirmed that an FIR has been registered for “threatening” the Congress MLAs in connection with the Rajya Sabha elections.

“The Congress leaders not only spoke about allurement and threat to their MLAs time and again but also registered an FIR against Kupendra Reddy and his aides,” Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Also Read: Cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls in Karnataka: Jolt to BJP-JDS combine

Not lured, says Kumaraswamy

• Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) state chief, clarified that while some MLAs were approached, they were not lured, citing Melukote MLA Darshan Puttannaiah’s statement.
• He mentioned that the BJP and the JD(S) had decided that the votes of their respective MLAs would go to Kupendra Reddy.
• Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister, criticised the JD(S) for allegedly attempting to lure Congress legislators to support Kupendra Reddy.
• He questioned the JD(S)’s conscience for forming an alliance with the BJP despite lacking sufficient votes for their candidate.
• Siddaramaiah also hinted at the possibility of gaining votes from the rival camp due to the government’s good works.
• He refuted the JD(S) allegations of Congress approaching their MLAs, stating that the Congress has enough MLAs without needing to lure opposition legislators.
• Voting is ongoing for four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka, with Congress fielding Ajay Maken, G C Chandrashekhar, and Syed Naseer Hussain, while the BJP and the JD(S) have nominated Narayansa Bhandage and Kupendra Reddy respectively.
• The Congress holds 133 MLAs (excluding the Speaker), while the BJP and the JD(S) have 66 and 19 legislators respectively, out of the total 223-member House. There are four other members.

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