Angry over ticket distribution for Karnataka polls…
Mandya : The Congress workers on Monday vandalised the party office in Madya to protest against the distribution of tickets for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
As soon as the Congress party released its first list of 218 candidates for the upcoming Karnataka polls on April 15, the party workers turned furious over the decision, particularly those name were not listed in the first list.
The party’s chief ministerial candidate Siddaramaiah will contest from the Chamundeshwari constituency.
Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yatheendra will contest from Varuna constituency.
Karnataka Home Minister R Ramalinga Reddy will contest from BTM Layout, while his daughter Sowmya Reddy will contest from Jayanagar. The Congress is yet to release candidate list for five seats. Karnataka will go to polls on May 12 to elect its representatives for the 225-member assembly. The results will be out on May 15.
With most of those who switched sides getting tickets, it is seen as consolidation of Siddaramaiah’s position within the party, as party veterans like Mallikarjuna Kharge, Veerappa Moily and KPCC chief G Parameshwara were seen opposed to it, preferring long time party workers.
Issuing tickets to party hoppers, including seven rebel JDS MLAs and controversial businessman of Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project Ashok Kheny, was reported to be a thorny issue while selecting candidates, with Siddaramaiah said to be standing strongly in their favour.
The chief minister is also said to have had his way in getting tickets to Anand Singh and B Nagendra in Ballari district. The two, who are allegedly involved in the illegal mining case, had joined the Congress, ahead of elections.
Owaisi’s AIMIM to back JD(S)
Hyderabad: The AIMIM on Monday announced its decision to back the JD(S), led by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, in the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections. The party president Asaduddin Owaisi said it has decided to support the JD(S) after “due consideration and consultations”.
According to Owaisi, his party feels that both the national parties, the BJP and Congress, have failed to live up to the expectations and hope of the people of Karnataka and that’s why they have decided to support the JD(S) completely.
“We will not be putting up our candidates,” Owaisi said, adding that he has already spoken to Kumaraswamy and assured him about his party’s support to the JD(S).
He said his party members, including him, would go out and address public meetings to garner support for the JD(S) in the upcoming elections.
“I hope people of Karnataka would once again repose faith in the JDS so that a qualitative change can be brought in Karnataka.
“It’s in the interest of Karnataka and in the interest of the nation that a non-Congress, non-BJP government comes to power both in Karnataka and subsequently (at the Centre) whenever the parliamentary elections are held,” he added.
The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has seven members in the Telangana Legislative Assembly.
The Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao during his visit to Bengaluru last week, while seeking the JD(S)’s support on his proposal to forge a federal front, also announced his party’s support to the JD(S).
Karnataka, in the upcoming elections, is witnessing a three-corner fight with the Congress, BJP and the H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) in the fray.