Karnataka polls: Denied ticket, dissidence brews among Congress ticket aspirant in Karkala

UDUPI: Dissidence seems to be brewing in the Karkala Congress unit with ticket aspirant Muniyal Uday Kumar Shetty in no mood to follow the party command to not to contest the forthcoming assembly election on May 12.

Sources said that disgruntled Muniyal Uday Kumar Shetty who is a contractor by profession has held meetings with his supporters, to chalk out the future course of strategy. There are indications that Shetty may contest independently to take on the Congress’ Gopal Bhandary and BJP in the election.

Sharing the details of the meeting, one of the attendees told Express that it was unanimously decided that they will approach the party’s high command in the state to reconsider the decision, though some initially suggested launching a platform enabling Muniyal Uday Kumar Shetty to contest independently.

There were three ticket aspirants from Congress party in Karkala assembly constituency. Former MLA Gopal Bhandary, District Congress vice-president Muniyal Uday Kumar Shetty and former Chief Minister Veerappa Moily’s son Harsha Moily were eyeing on the party ticket.

However, after the tweet row over alleged influence of money in giving congress party’s tickets to the aspirants for the forthcoming assembly election in the state, Veerappa Moily clarified that his son Harsha Moily will not contest from Karkala for the assembly elections. Later Gopal Bhandary and Muniyal Uday Kumar Shetty were the two ticket aspirants in Karkala. The party workers demanded to give the party ticket to Uday Kumar Shetty this time.

The Congress party on Sunday released the first list of candidates for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls and former MLA Gopal Bhandary succeeded to get the ticket from Karkala assembly constituency. As the list of candidates was announced on Sunday, the supporters of Uday Kumar Shetty expressed their disappointment and protested for denying the ticket to Uday Kumar Shetty in Karkala on Monday.