Deve Gowda to contest June 19 Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka
Bengaluru: JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda has decided to contest the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka and will be filing his nominations on Tuesday, his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Monday.
He said the former Prime Minister made his decision following the request of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, several national leaders, and party legislators, and it was not an easy task to "persuade" him to enter the Rajya Sabha.
"Former PM @H_D_Devegowda has decided to contest the Rajya Sabha elections at the request of party legislators, @INCIndia Sonia Gandhi Ji, and several national leaders.
He is going to file his nominations tomorrow.
Thanks to Sri DeveGowda for agreeing to everyone's consensus," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
"From the people, former prime minister Deve Gowda has seen success and defeat.
By the people, he has acquired higher positions.
It was not an easy task to persuade DeveGowda to enter the Rajya Sabha," he said.
"Finally, @H_D_Devegowda responded to everyone's hope and ambition. He will be the state's top representative in the Rajya Sabha," he said in another tweet.
The JD(S), which has 34 seats in the assembly, is not in a position to win a seat in Rajya Sabha on its own and will need support from the Congress with its surplus votes.
A minimum of 44 votes is required for candidates to win.
If he wins, this will be the second Rajya Sabha entry for 87-year-old Gowda, the first time being in 1996 as Prime Minister.
Gowda was defeated in Tumkur constituency by BJP's G S Basavaraj by over 13,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
As a joint candidate of the then ruling Congress-JDS coalition, Gowda had chosen to contest from Tumkur at the last minute after vacating Hassan-his home turf, to grandson Prajwal Revanna (a current MP).
The election is scheduled on June 19 to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka, represented by Rajeev Gowda and B K Hariprasad of Congress, Prabhakar Kore of BJP and D Kupendra Reddy of JD(S) that will fall vacant on June 25, with their retirement.
June 9 is the last date for filing nominations.
With 68 MLAs in the assembly, Congress can win one out of the four seats on its own and has fielded veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge as its candidate.
The BJP, with 117 members in the assembly (including Speaker), can ensure easy victory in two seats.
The State BJP core committee on Saturday had recommended three names to high command as probable candidates, out of which two are likely to be finalized.
According to party sources, BJP is unlikely to field a candidate against Gowda.
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Body of UP man killed in Riyadh missile attack brought to native village
Sitapur (UP) (PTI): The mortal remains of a 26-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh, who was killed in a suspected missile attack in Riyadh earlier this month, was brought to his native village in Sitapur on Wednesday, his family members said.
Ravi Gopal, a resident of Baghain village under Mahmudabad police station limits, had been working as a driver in a plastic factory in the Saudi capital since September 2025. He was killed on the night of March 18 in what his family described as a missile strike near his workplace.
His elder brother, Manmohan Dayal, told PTI that the mortal remains were handed over to him in Lucknow on Wednesday morning with the help of the administration.
"The body was received around 9.30 am. We are now taking it to our village in an ambulance and expect to reach by noon," he said earlier this morning.
"The cremation will be held today and preparations are already underway in the village," he said.
Dayal said Rakesh Kumar, Naib Tehsildar from Mahmudabad, has been deputed to facilitate the process and was accompanying the convoy.
He added that the family had been informed earlier by embassy officials and the local administration that the body would be flown from Riyadh to Lucknow, arriving on Wednesday morning.
Earlier, the family had claimed that Ravi died after being buried under debris following a missile strike near the factory where he worked. He was later taken to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.
The Ministry of External Affairs had said it received information on March 18 regarding the "tragic demise of an Indian national" in Riyadh and expressed condolences to the bereaved family. The Indian Mission in Riyadh coordinated with local authorities to facilitate the repatriation of the body.
Ravi, the sole breadwinner of his family, is survived by his wife and a four-year-old son. The family has sought compensation and assistance from the administration.
Officials said the district administration remained in touch with the family to ensure smooth completion of formalities.
