Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has notified the names of four members who will enter the upper house of Karnataka legislature, including that of Dr Arathi Krishna, who currently serves as the vice-chairperson of the state’s NRI forum.
Soon after the Congress stormed to power in Karnataka in 2023, it created the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) forum. She is also the All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary.
Krishna is considered the ‘high command candidate’ in the list of four nominees for the Upper House, people aware of the development said.
“She was at first nominated for a one-year-term to the Upper House since it fell vacant after C.P.Yogeshwara resigned. But she insisted on a full term and the state leadership decided in her favour,” said a person aware of the developments.
Krishna is also among the nearly 100 people, including ministers, who have been given a cabinet rank by the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government.
The vacancies arose following the completion of terms of Congress leaders U.B. Venkatesh and Prakash K. Rathod in October 2024, and JD(S) leader K.A. Tippeswamy in January 2025. Additionally, C.P. Yogeshwar resigned to contest the Channapatna bypoll, leaving another seat vacant.
The other three nominated members include F.H.Jakkappanavar, senior journalist Shivakumar.K, and Ramesh Babu, the incumbent chairman of the party’s communication wing.
Babu has been nominated for just one year.
The four new additions will help increase the number of Congress MLCs in the Upper House to 37. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), too will have a combined total of 37. There is one Independent and there is also the chairman of the House.
But the Congress is confident that it will have its way in the Upper House when it comes to smooth passage of bills.
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‘Thinkers’ Den’
In the monsoon session of the state legislature, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was left red-faced after The Karnataka Souharda Sahakari (Amendment) Bill 2025, which was approved in the assembly earlier, was defeated in the Council. There were 23 MLCs from the Congress who backed the bill while 26 from the BJP-JD(S) combine defeated it.
“Even if there is a tie, the Congress can easily see its bills through since A.H.Vishwanath will not vote in favour of the BJP,” said one Congress MLC.
Vishwanath, who was among the 17 members who defected to the BJP in 2019, has been increasingly putting a distance between himself and the party.
The four new members will also help the Congress hold off any temptation by the opposition to call for a no-confidence vote as well, the person cited above said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief D.K.Shivakumar wished the new entrants into the Council, which he said is fondly referred to as the ‘Thinkers’ Den’.
Krishna is the daughter of late minister and lawyer, Begane Ramaiah, who was the earlier MLA of Sringeri. She has a political science degree and was a resident of the US where she stayed with her husband. She later joined the Indian embassy as a community development officer.
On August 25, she was appointed as one of three people to the All India Congress Committee’s foreign affairs department which will be headed by Salman Khurshid. She was already serving as a top officer bearer in the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) headed by technocrat Sam Pitroda.
She is credited with helping coordinate relief efforts to bring stranded Indians back home during the Covid induced lockdown. According to the IOC-United Kingdom, Krishna has helped bring back more than 4,600 students from Ukraine after its war with Russia began.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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