Congress shifts focus to upcoming bypolls

BENGALURU: Congress leaders who had gathered at the KPCC office on Thursday to commemorate former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s 103rd birth anniversary, had something else on their minds -- the upcoming bypolls to Basavakalyan and Maski assembly seats and Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency.   

With the party having suffered a drubbing in the recent bypolls to RR Nagar and Sira, the talk among leaders gathered here clearly revolved around the bypoll dates. Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah were among those at the function. 

The leaders are under pressure to perform because both Maski and Basavakalyan are Congress strongholds. While Maski is their home turf, where Prathapgouda Patil switched sides and joined the BJP as part of Operation Kamala, in Basavakalyan, it was the death of their MLA Narayana Rao that has necessitated a byelection. Whether the seats will remain with the party remains the big question.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah has already visited Basavakalyan to meet leaders there, and is expected to visit Maski next week. Former minister MB Patil has called for a meeting of Congress leaders in Belagavi on Saturday. KPCC president DK Shivakumar will visit Maski and Basavakalyan starting Sunday, and will meet party workers and leaders.   

The Congress faces a few challenges in both constituencies -- Lingayats number about 50,000-60,000, and since the community does not back the Congress, it is the party’s biggest worry. The reverses they faced in the recent bypolls in Karnataka and across the country, has made the party jittery about whom to field. The party is also under  pressure in Belagavi, where they suspect it would be walkover for the BJP. 

As Congress leaders huddled to introspect the loss of R R Nagar and Sira — party strongholds which the BJP picked up quite easily — the writing on the wall is not too encouraging. Yet, the Congress is determined not to give up without a fight.