Congress compelled to contest BCC polls as abstaining makes party look fragile

Belagavi: The Congress will be forced to contest Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) out of compulsion as BJP will be fielding candidates across 58 wards.
According to sources in the party, many local leaders are hesitant to enter the fray as it will test the waters before assembly polls and affect ticket prospects of certain MLA aspirants. When the committee headed by former minister BM Patil arrived here to gather opinion, the leaders expressed it would be ideal not to field candidates as the party may not stand a chance. The poll is slated to be held on September 3.
However, Karnataka Congress in-charge general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has differed with the state leaders who have convened the message. Surjewala is of the opinion that the party would look weak in the state if it failed to throw a hat in the ring. “If not a majority, the party should win at least 15-20 seats in the polls to send out a message to the opposition. At a time Belagavi is seeing polls fought on party symbols for the first time in the history, abstaining will leave a black spot on state Congress,” he reportedly said.
Ashok Chandaragi, a Kannada activist, said the staying out from electoral politics will also pose questions on the stance of the party on burning linguistic issues. In areas dominated by Kannada speaking people, voters get an impression that Congress is not committed towards protecting the interest of Kannadigas.
Congress leader MB Patil said there are many rumours floating around but the party will take a final call at appropriate time. The high command has gathered information from the ground. He added that it is not true that the party is not interested in contesting elections.