Bengaluru: Ending months of delay, the govt Sunday notified long-pending nominations to four vacant seats in the legislative council after governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot gave his assent.The newly nominated members are KPCC media wing chairman Ramesh Babu, KPCC NRI cell chairperson Aarathi Krishna, senior journalist K Shivakumar, and social activist FH Jakkappanavar. With these additions, Congress now holds 37 seats in the 75-member Upper House, matching the combined strength of the opposition. BJP has 30 members, including chairman Basavaraj Horatti, while its ally JD(S) holds seven seats. Lakhan Jarkiholi remains the lone independent. The Upper House has 11 nominated seats in total. Three of these four seats fell vacant in Oct last year, while the fourth was vacated earlier this year when CP Yogeshwara resigned after switching from BJP to Congress to contest the Channapatna bypoll. The govt forwarded the final list to Raj Bhavan on Aug 25. In between, governing Congress faced embarrassment as the opposition frequently outvoted them on bills. Last month, the Karnataka Souharda Sahakari (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was defeated 23-27 in the Council after 10 Congress members failed to attend. Though the bill was reintroduced and passed, the incident highlighted the party’s vulnerability. “This will not repeat with our improved strength,” said Saleem Ahmed, Congress chief whip in the council. “We have no wish to bulldoze the opposition with our majority (Jarkiholi is inclined towards Congress), so the opposition should set aside politics and constructively participate in law making.” Sources say the rivalry between chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar was a key reason for the delay in finalising nominations. The orginal list, prepared as early as June, included Siddaramaiah’s former media adviser Dinesh Amin Mattu and DG Sagar, who was considered under the Dalit quota. However, Shivakumar’s camp is believed to have opposed Mattu’s nomination, while Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge’s faction reportedly objected to Sagar, who had previously contested against Kharge in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Gulbarga on a JD(S) ticket. Sagar had joined Congress recently. It is said the final nominations reflect the rising dominance of the Kharges in Congress amid the clash between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar factions over the CM post. Two of them — Shivakumar and Jakkappanavar — are Dalits from the Right sect and seen as close to Kharge. Babu, from the Balija community, is also considered a Kharge loyalist. Kharge represents the Right sect. “It is beyond doubt that I was given an opportunity due to Kharge’s blessings. The CM and DCM supported me, and I am grateful to them and the high command,” said Jakkappanavar. Justifying the choice of two Dalits from the Right sect, IT-BT and RDPR minister Priyank Kharge said Congress already had three Dalit MLCs — A Vasanth Kumar, D Thimmaiah, and Sudham Das — all from the Left sect. “The idea is to provide equitable representation in all communities, as Congress party is steadfastly committed to the spirit of social justice,” Priyank said. “Their nominations are a corrective measure.” Despite approvals, the nomination process wasn’t free of controversy. A section in Congress objected to some names, while council chairman Basavaraj Horatti is also said to have expressed concerns in a letter to the CM.
