Bengaluru: Almost a fortnight after the State Congress Government recommended the names of four personalities for nomination to the Legislative Council, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot yesterday gave assent to the list for the nominations, thus ending the long wait of nominees. 

The State Government had sent the list of 4 personalities  to the Governor on Aug. 25 for issuance of an official notification, after  the Congress High Command’s approval to the  list.

On Sunday (Sept. 7), the Governor Gehlot issued an official notification in this regard.

Those who have been nominated are Mysuru city based senior Journalist K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chairperson of NRI Forum of Karnataka Government  Arathi Krishna, AICC SC Cell General Secretary  F.H. Jakkappanavar of Hubballi-Dharwad  and KPCC Media Wing Head Ramesh Babu of Bengaluru.

While Ramesh Babu and Arati Krishna were successful in retaining their names from the earlier list announced by the Congress High Command a couple of months ago, Journalist K. Shivakumar and Jakkappananvar were the new names in the list, replacing senior Journalist Dinesh Amin Mattu and Dalit leader from Kalaburagi D.G. Sagar, whose names had found mention in the earlier list.

While K. Shivakumar and Jakkappanavar belong to SC Community (Right hand), Arathi Krishna, daughter of former Minister Begane Ramaiah from Chikkamagaluru, is from Vokkaliga community and Ramesh Babu is an OBC leader.

The four seats had fallen vacant since January this year following the expiry of the tenure of U.B. Venkatesh, former cricketer Prakash Rathod and senior leader Thippeswamy and the resignation of C.P. Yogeshwar who was elected to the State Assembly following his victory in the Channapatna by-polls held late last year, that was necessitated by the resignation of Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D.Kumaraswamy, subsequent to his election from Mandya Constituency in the 2024 LS polls.