Karnataka - Gulbarga   

A tussle for supremacy in Gulbarga district

GULBARGA: Election from the Gulbarga Local Authorities constituency to the Legislative Council will be yet another tussle between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for supremacy in the district politics.

The BJP made its presence felt in the district with impressive wins in the Assembly elections and the recent byelection in the Chitapur Assembly constituency.

It will be an uphill task for the Congress to retain the seat it won five years ago through Amatappa Kandakur. Mr. Kandakur, however, quit the party later and now is an aspirant for the BJP ticket. It will not be an easy task for the BJP too to win the seat as the party’s image has been hit following the recent dissidence by the Reddy brothers of Bellary.

In the BJP, both supporters of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and those of Tourism Minister G. Janardhan Reddy are making claims for the party ticket.

The former vice-president of Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat Suresh Sajjan and Shivanna Mangyal, both followers of Surpur MLA Raju Gowda, a lieutenant of the Reddy brothers, are in the forefront of those seeking the party ticket. Prominent among other aspirants for BJP ticket are Chairman of the Hyderabad Karnataka Development Board Amarnath Patil, who has not identified himself with any of the two groups in the party, and Mr. Kandakur.

In the Congress, prominent ticket aspirants among those whose names are doing round in the party circle are the former MP Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi, a confidant of Union Labour Minister M. Mallikarjun Kharge; district Congress committee president Allamprabhu Patil, who has the support of MP N. Dharam Singh; the former Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council B.R. Patil, who is a supporter of the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah; district Youth Congress president Ustad Naseer Hussain and the former member of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes Thippanna Kamakanur.

The former vice-president of the zilla panchayat Shankaranna’s name figures prominently in the list of those seeking Janata Dal (Secular) ticket. However, there are reports that the JD (S) may not field a candidate in the constituency to avoid split of secular votes.

The Congress is in control of a majority of local bodies in the district. However, the situation may turn dicey for the party if the BJP plays caste card or lures fence-sitters.

The total number of voters in the constituency is 6,526. Votes of gram panchayat members hold the key in the election as they number 5,871.

The others who are eligible to vote are 235 taluk panchayat members, 133 town municipal council members, 81 town panchayat members, 67 city municipal council members, 64 zilla panchayat members, 58 Gulbarga City Corporation Council members, 13 MLAs, two MPs and two MLCs.

Notification for the election was issued on Tuesday. No nomination papers were filed on the first day. The last date for filing the nomination papers is December 1. Polling is scheduled for December 18.

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