Seat distribution: Problem of plenty plagues Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka
Congress party sources say there are too many potential candidates in Chamarajanagar, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bellary constituencies
Amid a plethora of candidates, Karnataka’s ruling Congress party, otherwise exuding confidence ahead of general elections, is finding it not easy to pick candidates in four of the 28 parliamentary seats. Having named contestants in 24 constituencies, the Congress is yet to agree on winnable candidates in Chamarajanagar, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bellary.
Similarly, the BJP, which too has announced 24 candidates, is yet to finalise its nominee in Chitradurga constituency. Its ally the Janata Dal (Secular) is also finalising contestants in Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.
Congress infighting
Congress sources say there are too many potential candidates in Chamarajanagar, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bellary and, so, it is finding it difficult to finalise ‘consensus’ nominees. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy and Karnataka Congress president DK Shiavakumar have held a series of meetings to resolve the problems confronting the four seats.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, the Congress in-charge of Karnataka, has reportedly failed to sort out disagreements among the leaders in these places.
Kolar and more
In Kolar (Reserved) constituency, former MP and food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa is pushing the name of his son-in-law KG Chikkapeddanna. Former speaker KR Ramesh Kumar is lobbying for former Rajya Sabha member L Hanumanthaiah.
On Friday, Muniyappa met Shivakumar and sought ticket for his son-in-law, citing instances of the party nominating children of cabinet colleagues.
In Chikkaballapura, there is a stiff competition between former chief minister M Veerappa Moily and Raksha Ramaiah. According to Congress sources, the party is inclined more towards Ramaiah, son of former minister MR Seetharam, a former Youth Congress head in Karnataka.
More than one
Former MLA NH Shivashanakar Reddy is also said to be competing to contest from Chikkaballapura. The Congress wants to pick a strong candidate who can take on former minister K Sudhakar of the BJP
In Chamarajanagar, social welfare minister HC Mahadevappa has refused the party’s offer to contest and instead wants the ticket for his son Sunil Bose. Former MLA J Nanjundaswamy also has his eyes on the seat. He recently camped in Delhi to impress upon the high command on his candidature.
Congress sources say Siddaramaiah favours fielding Sunil Bose to favour his lieutenant Mahadevappa, a strong AHINDA leader from Mysuru region. In the melee, Shivakumar is fearing a backlash from the legislators of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts.
BJP’s problem area
In Bellary, the party is considering putting up Sandur MLA AE Tukaram, who is keen on contesting. But former MP from Bellary VS Ugrappa also wants to contest from Bellary. The Congress is reportedly waiting for the BJP and JD(S) to announce their remaining candidates before announcing its last four contestants.
Now with the BJP announcing candidates for Uttara Kannada (Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri), Belagavi (Jagadish Shettar), Chikkaballapura (K Sudhakar) and Raichur (Raja Amareshwara Nayak), the Congress likely to finalise its candidates soon, said a senior Congress leader. The BJP is yet to name its candidate in Chitradurga constituency.
‘Go Back’ campaign
BJP sources said there is anti-incumbency against incumbent MP A Narayana Swamy. The party is considering the name of former minister Govind Karjol from Chitradurga.
Karjol, who is from Bagalkot district and a senior Dalit leader in the party, lost from Mudhol in the 2023 Assembly elections to the Congress. But Karjol has been dubbed an outsider by the Chitradurga BJP district unit. He faces a “Go back” campaign on the lines of Shettar and Shobha Karandlaje in Belagavi and Udupi-Chikmagalur respectively.
JD(S) game plan
Though the names of Puttaraju and Nikhil Kumaraswamy are being floated for Mandya, in all likelihood Kumaraswamy is planning to enter the fray to avenge the defeat of his son in 2019. Prajwal Revanna, the incumbent JD(S) MP whom the party has projected as its candidate from Hassan, is facing stiff competition from a section of leaders in the BJP, the alliance partner.
The JD (S) has not yet finalised its candidate for Kolar. Sitting BJP MP S Muniswamy met BJP president JP Nadda and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and requested them to allow him to contest from Kolar as BJP or JD(S) candidate.
Kolar contest
Meanwhile, the JD(S) is said to be keen on fielding Mallesh Babu, who lost from the Bangarpet Assembly seat in 2023. The names of sitting MLA Samruddhi Manjunath and former MLA Nisarga Narayanaswamy are also being discussed, according to party sources.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP swept 25 of the 28 seats while the Congress and JD(S), then in alliance, could win just one seat each. One constituency was bagged by an independent candidate.
