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Koppal DCC plumps for Ramulu; KPCC has other plans

By Our Staff Correspondent

KOPPAL, MARCH 6. H.G. Ramulu, who represented Koppal in the previous Lok Sabha, is likely to be replaced by a new face in the coming elections. Mr. Ramulu's name did not figure in the first list of probable candidates for the Lok Sabha elections sent to the central election committee of the Congress. The State election committee of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is said to have asked the central panel to form a committee to nominate candidates for Koppal and six other Lok Sabha seats in the State.

It is learnt that the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, and the KPCC President, B. Janardhana Poojary, have recommended that K. Veerupakshappa, KPCC Vice-President, be fielded in Koppal. Mr. Veerupakshappa is a strong contender for the party ticket for the Sindhanoor Assembly seat. It is likely that the former MLA, Hampangouda Badarli, who joined the Congress from the All-India Progressive Janata Dal, will be fielded in Sindhanoor. Mr. Veerupakshappa has been asked by the party High Command to contest for the Lok Sabha, and it is likely that he may accept the offer. However, the Koppal District Congress Committee (DCC) has opposed the move and demanded the re-nomination of Mr. Ramulu and the fielding of the candidates recommended by it for the Assembly elections.

The district leadership of the party felt that differences might crop up among the party workers if the High Command ignored the list submitted by the committee. The DCC, headed by Mr. Ramulu's son, H.R. Srinath, had officially recommended the candidature of Mr. Veerupakshappa as Mr. Ramulu is said to have decided not to seek re-nomination.

Mr. Ramulu is said to have indicated to Mr. Krishna and Mr. Poojary that he had no intention to contest. But later, the DCC submitted an application to the KPCC seeking his re-nomination.

It is said that the State election committee has expressed its inability to meet its demand, stating that the ball is already in the court of the central election committee.

According to sources, the DCC is planning to take a delegation to Mr. Poojary. Mr. Ramulu got elected from Koppal in 1980, 1984, 1998, and 1999. The party denied him the ticket in 1991 and 1996.

The DCC has recommended for the Assembly elections the names of M.B. Diwtar, former MLA, Kariyanna Sangti, MLC, H.L. Hiregouder, President of the zilla panchayat, Basawaraj Rayareddy, former Secretary-General of the All-India Progressive Janata Dal who recently joined the Congress, Shivasharanappa Gouda Patil, former MLA, Hassansab Dotihal, and H. Nirawari, former member of the Karnataka Lok Seva Commission for the Kustagi seat, Srirangadevarayalu, former MLA for the Gangavathi seat, and Mallikarjuna Nagappa for the Kanakagiri seat.

Mr. Rayareddy is facing opposition from the taluk-level Congress leaders. A section of workers has opposed the move to give the party ticket to Mr. Rayareddy.

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