Stage set for Council Chairman election; Horatti and Naseer Ahmed file nominations

Bengaluru, Feb 8 (PTI): The stage is set for the February9 election to the post of Karnataka Legislative CouncilChairman, with JD(S) MLC Basavaraj Horatti, supported by BJPand Congress' Naseer Ahmed filing their nominations on Monday.

According to the official notification, today was thedate for filing of nominations.

Horatti, flanked by BJP and JD(S) MLCs, includingMinisters Kota Srinivas Poojary and MTB Nagaraj, filed hispapers before the Council Secretary, while Ahmed wasaccompanied by Congress legislators.

The election was necessitated following the resignationof Congress' K Prathapachandra Shetty as the Chairman onFebruary 4 to pre empt a no-confidence motion against him bythe ruling BJP, and JD(S) extending support to it.

Though Horatti is most certain to win as the numbers areclearly on his side, the opposition Congress, with the aim ofensuring a contest, has fielded Ahmed.

During the Council Deputy Chairman election too, Congresshas fielded its candidate and had said it was with anintention to ''expose'' the JD(S) and its secular credentials.

Both BJP and JD(S) have joined hands for the CouncilChairman and Deputy Chairman's posts.

As per the arrangement, BJP MLC M K Pranesh was onJanuary 29 elected as the Deputy Chairman with the backing ofJD(S), and now the ruling party will return the favour bysupporting the regional party nominee, Horatti.

BJP sources said the party agreed to support Horatti asChairman instead of seeking the post for itself in return forJD(S)' support in its move to oust Shetty and ensure passageof certain key bills.

The earlier move by both parties in December to removeShetty as Chairman did not succeed as their notice of no-confidence was rejected on technical grounds.

The House had witnessed high drama that day with BJP-JDSand Congress members hurling abuses and pushing each other.

Amid the ruckus on December 15, the then Deputy ChairmanDharme Gowda, who is now no more, was even pulled down fromthe Chair.

Currently the ruling BJP is the single largest party inthe Council with 31 seats, followed by Congress with 29, JD(S)13, one independent and one vacant (due to death of DharmeGowda).