Karnataka   

Congress in Karnataka facing unrest

BANGALORE: The Congress in Karnataka is facing unrest among its rank and file in nearly 10 of the 89 constituencies going to the polls in the first phase of elections on May 10. An unprecedented demand for party ticket is now having its toll with some workers threatening to walk out of the party while most other ticket aspirants, though disappointed, have taken the denial of ticket to them in their stride.

Within a day after the announcement of the first list of its candidates, the Congress High Command on Sunday opted for a review of the candidates selected for some of the constituencies. This exercise is stated to have been taken up to convey to the disappointed ticket aspirants that their request is still under consideration and that they should not be hasty in leaving the party at this stage.

A Congress leader, who is upset with the seat selection process, is a Union Minister who enjoys a considerable clout in the old Mysore region which occupies the centre-stage in the first phase of elections.

Sources in the Congress told The Hindu that after a marathon review meeting, the chairman of the Central Screening Committee, Digvijay Singh, had sent across certain recommendations to All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi. The recommendations largely pertained to five constituencies: Turuvekere, Jayanagar, Hebbal, Sarvagnanagar and Dasarahalli.

The Congress workers are also unhappy that the former Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, has not been given ticket although it was pointed out that Mr. Krishna had not clearly indicated that he was keen on contesting the elections.

The party screening committee has completed the exercise of finalising the list of candidates for the constituencies going to the polls in the second and the third phases. With the committee submitting these lists to the AICC president, it is now for the latter to grant her approval. The Congress leaders, however, said, “rebellion, if any, will be firmly put down.” As such the party has not announced its candidates for some sensitive constituencies such as Chickpet, Tumkur Rural, Ramanagaram and Chikkanayakanahalli. With the completion of the seat selection process, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge and former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, who had participated in the high-level exercise, are scheduled to return to Bangalore on Monday.

While demonstrations were staged by several ticket aspirants and their followers in some of the constituencies here, the sources said that in New Delhi the supporters of the former Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, reportedly heckled the party senior leader and close associate of the KPCC president, K.C. Kondaiah, at a posh hotel where the two of them are staying.

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