Congress meeting tomorrow to pick candidates; final list likely by April 15
New Delhi: The Central Election Authority (CEA) of the Congress party is scheduled to meet on April 13 to finalise the party candidates for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls. Party sources said the official list of Congress candidates may be announced on April 14-15.
With rival BJP having already announced its first batch of 70-odd candidates, Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara were in Delhi to attend the AICC screening committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Recommendations on the shortlisted candidates were made, which will now be placed before the CEA for final clearance.
The screening committee is headed by Madhusudan Mistry and comprises, among others, AICC general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal.
Sources said that during the AICC screening committee meetings, many expressed reservations about the chief minister’s publicly expressed desire to vacate his sitting seat Varuna and fight from Chamundeshwari seat, considered ‘risky’ given the influence JDS has in the constituency dominated by Vokkaligas, the caste to which Deve Gowda belongs to. “The chief minister is determined and confident to contest from Chamundeshwari. The CEA will take the final call,” said a party leader in Delhi.
As ET reported from Bengaluru a few days back, many Congress leaders (including Siddaramaiah’s supporters) are urging the CM against opting for the ‘risky seat’. Some proposals have also reached the AICC body suggesting that the party not give tickets to the children/spouses –– other than those who are already MLAs –– of sitting Congress MLAs.
Party sources said that if this proposal is accepted, it can serve many purposes –– of Siddaramaiah’s ticket-aspiring son Yathindra pulling out thus giving the CM an option of contesting from both his sitting seat, and if he still persists, from Chamundeswari as well.
Since the ‘one-family-one-ticket’ formula exempts children of Congress leaders who were already members of the outgoing Assembly, it also smoothens the way for Priyank Kharge, son of senior Congress leader and CM’s in-house challenger Mallikarjun Kharge, getting re-nomination to contest. There have been resistance from within the Karnataka Congress to the children of senior leaders Veerappa Moily, Margaret Alva seeking party nominations.
With rival BJP having already announced its first batch of 70-odd candidates, Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara were in Delhi to attend the AICC screening committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Recommendations on the shortlisted candidates were made, which will now be placed before the CEA for final clearance.
The screening committee is headed by Madhusudan Mistry and comprises, among others, AICC general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal.
Sources said that during the AICC screening committee meetings, many expressed reservations about the chief minister’s publicly expressed desire to vacate his sitting seat Varuna and fight from Chamundeshwari seat, considered ‘risky’ given the influence JDS has in the constituency dominated by Vokkaligas, the caste to which Deve Gowda belongs to. “The chief minister is determined and confident to contest from Chamundeshwari. The CEA will take the final call,” said a party leader in Delhi.
As ET reported from Bengaluru a few days back, many Congress leaders (including Siddaramaiah’s supporters) are urging the CM against opting for the ‘risky seat’. Some proposals have also reached the AICC body suggesting that the party not give tickets to the children/spouses –– other than those who are already MLAs –– of sitting Congress MLAs.
Party sources said that if this proposal is accepted, it can serve many purposes –– of Siddaramaiah’s ticket-aspiring son Yathindra pulling out thus giving the CM an option of contesting from both his sitting seat, and if he still persists, from Chamundeswari as well.
Since the ‘one-family-one-ticket’ formula exempts children of Congress leaders who were already members of the outgoing Assembly, it also smoothens the way for Priyank Kharge, son of senior Congress leader and CM’s in-house challenger Mallikarjun Kharge, getting re-nomination to contest. There have been resistance from within the Karnataka Congress to the children of senior leaders Veerappa Moily, Margaret Alva seeking party nominations.