Lok Sabha polls 2024; Karnataka Congress struggles to find candidates for 21 seats

After the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the poll dates, the two-phase Lok Sabha polls have turned into a high-stakes battle for the ruling Congress and the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

While the BJP announced candidates for 20 seats for which it is facing widespread discontentment, the Congress released its first list of candidates for seven seats. But since then, the Congress is dragging its feet to finalise its next set of candidates.

Sources in Congress admit that it is going to be an uphill task for the party to wrest even 15 seats in the state from the BJP. According to some functionaries citing the latest internal surveys conducted by the party, Congress may win a maximum of eight seats. The party sources are attributing this dismal outlook to what they describe as a “total disconnect” between the party and the government.

Sources in the ruling party also argue that though there are several contenders for each of the remaining 21 constituencies, 'many are not a safe bet’. Questioning the rationale behind the delay in announcing the candidates, party functionaries and grassroots workers, however, are urging the leadership to announce the candidates at the earliest.

There is every possibility that Congress will announce the list of candidates for the rest of the 28 constituencies by Wednesday̤

Notably, the reluctance of some of the ministers and lawmakers to contest seems to have put the Congress, scouting for ‘winnable’ candidates, in a tight spot. Ten days after announcing seven candidates, the Congress leaders are struggling to pick nominees for the remaining 21 seats.

According to sources, the Congress is dragging its feet to announce candidates since it is keen on fielding cabinet ministers. Senior Congress leader and home minister G Parameshwar had recently said there are discussions in the party to field seven to eight ministers.

Sources said these ministers are being considered to contest: K H Muniyappa from Kolar, H C Mahadevappa from Chamarajanagar, B Nagendra from Ballari, Satish Jarkiholi from Belagavi, Eshwar Khandre from Bidar, Krishna Byre Gowda from Bengaluru North, Ramalinga Reddy (Bengaluru South) and B Z Zameer Khan (Bengaluru Central). But, ministers are likely to politely refuse these proposals, added the sources.

According to sources, some ministers are intent on pushing for the candidature of their family members. The party leadership is, however, worried about the message that this is likely to send out about dynastic politics in the Congress. But, no minister is interested in moving to Parliament, and sacrificing a ministerial post in Karnataka.

Instead, some ministers are trying to push the candidature of their family members. They have assured the Congress top brass that they (ministers) will put all their efforts to ensure their kin get elected. In no uncertain terms, Krishna Byre Gowda, who lost in 2019 from Bengaluru North and in 2009 from Bengaluru South, has conveyed his reluctance to contest in the LS polls to the high command.

H C Mahadevappa is said to be insisting on fielding his son Sunil Bose from Chamarajanagara seat. Another minister K H Muniyappa is said to be proposing the name of his son-in-law Shashidhar JE for the Kolar seat.

Meanwhile, Ramalinga Reddy pushed the name of his daughter Sowmya Reddy for Bengaluru South and convinced the high command that she was capable of taking on BJP's Tejaswi Surya.

Sowmya Reddy, who represented the Jayanagar Assembly constituency lost in the 2023 Assembly elections to BJP’s C K Ramamurthy.

Likewise, amid speculation surrounding potential Congress contenders for the Belagavi and Chikodi Lok Sabha seats, public works minister Satish Jarkiholi is lobbying to get his daughter Priyanka Jarkiholi to stand from the Chikkodi constituency. In Belagavi, there are similar problems as the party considers potential candidates such as Mrinal Hebbalkar, the son of women and child welfare minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar.

Meanwhile, the party is ruminating over fielding Mallikarjuna Kharge’s son-in-law, Radhakrishna Doddamani, from the Kalaburagi seat. The Congress feels that making Radhakrishna a candidate will force both Mallikarjuna Kharge and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge to take a personal interest in securing that seat.

According to senior Congress functionaries, the party is now shelving the idea of fielding ministers and MLAs in the LS polls and is instead hunting for suitable candidates to take on BJP candidates.

“After examining the pros and cons, the party has decided against fielding ministers,” admitted one of the senior Congress functionaries.

Despite the survey results, leaders like D K Shivakumar are confident of the Congress wresting 20 seats from BJP, including the Kalaburagi seat.

Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar told media persons on Sunday, March 17 that the Congress will take 20 seats from the BJP in Karnataka this time. According to Shivakumar, the party’s second list will be announced by Wednesday.

The party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting will be held on Tuesday in Delhi and in all probability, the candidates for the rest of the 21 constituencies will be announced. The Congress has prepared a road map for campaigning, as Prime Minister Modi has already flagged off his poll pitch in Karnataka, he added.

Shivakumar has assigned the responsibility of organising campaign tours of leaders and other matters in 14 districts to Rajya Sabha members G C Chandrashekar and Basavaraj Rayaraddi, the CM's economic advisor. Chandrashekar has been given the charge of 14 districts in southern Karnataka that will go to polls on April 26, while Rayaraddi will take care of the 14 districts that will go to polls on May 7.