Raksha Ramaiah to head Youth Congress in Karnataka?

BENGALURU: Raksha Ramaiah is likely to be elected as Karnataka Youth Congress (KYC) president unanimously when the elections happen on January 12. The post fell vacant in March 2020 when Basanagouda Badarli’s term ended. 

In the meantime, the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) was in a dilemma whether to conduct a poll or to appoint the Youth Congress chief.  The contenders for the post included Mithun Rai, Nalapad Haris and H S Manjunath. While Rai withdrew his nomination on Saturday evening, top party leaders, including state party president D K Shivakumar, were trying to convince others to withdraw from the contest, said sources from the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.  

Manjunath, who is the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) president in Karnataka, unsuccessfully contested from the Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly constituency in 2018, and party leaders were not in favour of his name again, sources said. 

Announcing his withdrawal from the poll, Rai put out a Facebook post saying he was following the KPCC chief’s instructions. Sources said that for the sacrifice he made, he has been assured of a ticket in the 2023 Assembly polls. Ramaiah, who is 35 years old, is senior Congress leader and former minister MR Seetharam’s son.  Over 6.5 lakh voters are eligible to elect the Youth Congress chief in the state.