The Hindu : Krishna steps in to prevent 'sabotage' in Council polls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 23, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Krishna steps in to prevent 'sabotage' in Council polls

By Vijaykumar Patil

Belgaum Nov. 22. The Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, has made it clear that "it is the collective responsibility of all to work for the success of the party candidates" in the elections to the Legislative Council from the local authorities constituencies in the district.

Mr. Krishna reportedly said this to the two Ministers, V.S. Koujalgi and D.B. Inamdar, and the party legislators from the district when they were summoned to Bangalore on Thursday. All of them were present for the meeting except Amarsinh Patil, MP, and Ramesh Kudachi, MLA. It is said that Mr. Kudachi could not go to Bangalore because of other commitments, while Mr. Patil met Mr. Krishna separately the next day.

Incidentally, the meeting with the Chief Minister is also seen as a long pending move to sort out differences in the district Congress. Discontent has been prevailing in the district unit of the Congress. Political analysts attribute the differences among the leaders to personal pique rather than groupism. The differences resulted in the party suffering a major embarrassment in the recently held elections to the post of President of the Belgaum Zilla Panchayat with a rebel candidate, Sannagouda Doddagouda, being elected.

With this, as was intended by those who supported the rebellion from behind the scenes, the leadership of Mr. Koujalgi was called into question.

The KPCC took the matter seriously and expelled Mr. Doddagouda from the primary membership of the party for six years. That the punishment appears to be selective, as others who joined the rebellion faced no action, is a different matter.

There are new political alignments taking place in the district. Mr. Inamdar and Mr. Patil, who had strong differences until recently, seem to have come together.

Mr. Patil had stood by Mr. Koujalgi following the `Koujalgi videotape episode' over two years ago while Mr. Inamdar (who was then the district in-charge Minister) and his political guardians were thought to be behind the episode.

On the other side, the relationship between Mr. Patil and Mr. Koujalgi has soured. The rebellion in the election of the zilla panchayat President is being attributed to the changed equations between the leading players in the district Congress.

Therefore, Mr. Krishna has warned Mr. Koujalgi, Mr. Inamdar, and the party legislators from the district to work together for the success of Veerkumar Patil and Mahantesh Kautagimath, the official nominees for the two seats to Council from the district.

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Krishna steps in to prevent 'sabotage' in Council polls