Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 8 (ANI): Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over naming M Nagaraja as its Rajya Sabha candidate from the state, asserting that the BJP-JD(S) 'coalition is on shaky ground'.

Speaking to reporters, Kharge added that the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) alliance is facing internal uncertainties. He said that the BJP may have thought that Janata Dal (Secular) National President and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda 'would not add value anymore.'

'If the BJP-JD(S) alliance is on a sticky wicket, what does it matter to the Congress? Whether to give it to Mr Deve Gowda or anybody else. It shows that their coalition is on shaky ground, or maybe they thought that Mr Deve Gowda would not add value anymore?' said Congress leader Kharge.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka, as well as the biennial Legislative Council elections in Karnataka for 2026.

For the Rajya Sabha elections, the BJP has nominated Prof Dr M Nagaraja from Karnataka.

In the Karnataka Legislative Council biennial elections, the party has selected Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya as its candidates.

Meanwhile, political activity intensified across the country as candidates vying for seats in the Upper House of Parliament officially filed their nominations, with the deadline for filing nominations for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections fast approaching.

The elections, scheduled for June 18, will see a contest for 24 seats across ten states, setting the stage for a significant recalibration of the legislative body.

The Election Commission had on June 1 issued a notification for biennial elections for the 24 seats. The last date of filing nominations is June 8.

The 24 seats include four seats each in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three seats each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya.

Notification was also issued for the Rajya Sabha bypoll for a seat each in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. (ANI)