Bengaluru, Jun 7 (Agencies): The ruling BJP in Karnataka has shortlisted five names for the June 19 biennial elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from the southern state, a party source said on Saturday.

"The party's state unit core committee has shortlisted outgoing member Prabkhar Kore, Ramesh Katti and Prakash Shetty to contest in the Rajya Sabha biennial elections for 2 or 3 seats," the source told IANS, on the condition of anonymity.

In addition to the three names of Prakash Shetty, Prabhakar Kore and Ramesh Katti, pressure was put on the state BJP leaders to include the names of Nirmal Kumar Surana and Dr M Nagaraja with a view of organizing the party, as per BJP sources. Hence the state BJP has decided to send the names of a total of five people in the final list to the central election committee of BJP. However, it is said that Prakash Shetty is likely to be chosen by the party.

Prakash Shetty, hotel entrepreneur and founder CEO of MRG group of companies is a native of coastal belt of Karnataka. He is a well-wisher of BJP and its parivar organizations. During the extension of state cabinet coastal region did not get expected number of minister positions. So Prakash Shetty is selected for Rajya Sabha seat. It is also learnt that the Sangh Parivar has not raised any objection to his candidature.

Prabhakar Kore was one term Rajya Sabha MP after he joined BJP deserting Congress party. In addition, he has got good rapport with central BJP leaders and senior leaders of RSS. He has made name for himself in BJP of Belagavi district. He is also doing social work through educational institutions. That is why his name is sent for finalization as per party sources.

Ramesh Katti is brother of Umesh Katti, one of the senior most BJP MLA. He has contested from Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituency and has served as a MP also. It was said that Umesh Katti will be given minister position during the extension of the state cabinet. However, owing to various reasons, he did not get the said post. Umesh Katti had raised revolt against the state BJP and pressurized them to give RS seat to his brother. He had also threatened to hold revolt in the party if his demand is not accepted by the senior leaders of the state BJP. That is why Ramesh Katti's name is in the final list as per sources.

The party's state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel will forward the names to the party's high command in New Delhi for selecting the candidates.

"In the event of the high command deciding to contest the third seat, Shetty is likely to be fielded, as Kore and Katti have been cleared for two seats the party is set to win in view of its strength (116 legislators) in the 225-member state assembly," the source pointed out.

With each candidate requiring 44 votes to win, the BJP will have 28 surplus votes and support of 2 Independents to contest the third seat, but will require 14 more votes to win it.

Names of outsiders like eminent banker K.V. Kamath and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy were not considered by the committee, in which Kateel, state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and party's national General Secretary B.L. Santosh are the members.

"Even names of Tejaswani Ananth Kumar or party's general secretary P. Muralidhar Rao were also not considered," said the source.

With the term of the 4 members, including 2 from the Congress (B.K. Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda) and one each from the BJP (Kore) and Janata Dal-Secular (Kupendra Reddy) ending on June 25, the Election Commission on June 1 notified the bypoll in the state on June 19, with the last date for nominations on June 9. Vote count is on June 19.

Kore has been in the Upper House for two terms so far.

Ramesh Katti, younger brother of 8-time BJP legislator Umesh Katti, was the party's Lok Sabha member from Chikkodi in the state's northwest region from 2009-14.

Katti's nomination to the Rajya Sabha was one of the demands of the party's rebels, led by Umesh and senior legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal.

In the 225-member assembly, the opposition Congress has 68 seats, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) 34, Independents 2, Bhujan Samaj Party 1, Speaker 1 and vacant 2.

"In the past too, candidates of ruling parties and independents got elected to the Rajya Sabha due to cross voting or with the support of all legislators,a the source recalled, hinting the possibility of cross-voting again in the event of a contest for the 4th seat this time.

With the opposition Congress nominating its veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge to contest in the Rajya Sabha bypoll, the party has hinted at giving its 24 surplus votes to JD-S supreme H.D. Deve Gowda if the former prime minister decides to contest.

With only 34 members, a JD-S candidate will require 10 more votes to win the Rajya Sabha seat. The regional party is unlike to field its outgoing member Reddy for the second term.

"By deliberately fielding a third candidate, the BJP wants to queer the pitch and keep Gowda out of contest, fearing cross-voting and loss of face in the event of losing the battle of ballots," a political analyst told IANS here.

Gowda, 87, lost in the May 2019 general elections from Tumkur to the BJP, though his grandson Prajwal Gowda won from the JD-S bastion Hassan, defeating A. Manju of the BJP.

Of the 12 Rayja Sabha seats from the southern state, the BJP has three members - Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, industrialist Rajeev Chandrashekhar and noted educationist K.C. Ramamurthy, who defected from the Congress and got re-elected unopposed on December 5, 2019 as a BJP nominee, as his term is till June 2022.

The opposition Congress has 5 members in the Upper House from the state - Oscar Fernandes, Jairam Ramesh, Syed Naseer Hussain, L.Hanumanthaiah and G.C. Chandrashekar.

Kharge and Hariprasad lost in the May 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Gulabarga (reserved) and Bangalore South seats to the BJP's Umesh Yadav and Tejasvi Surya.

With Inputs from IANS