Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Kharge faces protests from supporters of ticket aspirants

Venting ire: KPCC President M Mallikarjun Kharge being mobbed at the helipad in Gulbarga city on Friday by the supporters of ticket aspirants.

GULBARGA: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday faced angry protests by supporters of aspirants who were denied party ticket from the district and was mobbed at the helipad at the District Police Headquarters and in his residence demanding party ticket for their leaders.

Mr. arrived here in the evening by helicopter from Bangalore to participate in a workers’ conference of the Chitapur Assembly constituency from where Mr. Kharge is scheduled to contest the elections to the State Assembly. He was welcomed with slogans protesting against the denial of party ticket to Kailash Patil, son of former Chief Minister Veerendra Patil.

Other groups supporting the former Minister A.B. Maalakaraddy and the former MLC Chennareddy Tunnur raised slogans demanding party ticket to their leaders from Yadgir and Gurmitkal Assembly constituencies. As soon as Mr. Kharge alighted from the helicopter, he was literally mobbed by the supporters of these leaders shouting slogans and the police personnel had a tough time to keep away the surging party workers from Mr. Kharge. Mr. Kharge, who did not respond to the protests by the workers, got into the waiting car and sped to his residence. However, the protesting party workers followed Mr. Kharge to his residence to continue their protest. They even tried to disrupt the press conference addressed by Mr. Kharge by raising slogans praising their leaders.

District Congress Committee president Allamprabhu Patil and other leaders urged the protestors to maintain decorum and not to disturb the press conference and later they can voice their grievance to Mr./ Kharge.

Later, the supporters of Dr. Maalakaraddy, Mr. Chennareddy Tunnur, and Mr. Kailash Patil met Mr. Kharge and pleaded for party ticket to their leaders. Mr. Kharge told presspersons that there was very little scope for the party to effect any changes in the names of those who have already been given ticket.

Mr. Kharge sought to downplay the violent reaction in the party in almost all the districts against the selection of the candidates and said this sort of the phenomenon was not new and that it happened during all the elections.

He said told presspersons that for the 224 Assembly seats there were more than 3,700 aspirants and majority of them deserved to get the party nomination.

“Choosing 224 candidates among such a large number of deserving candidates is not an easy task,” he said.

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