Campaigning activities begin for MLC elections in Ballari

Haveri: The MLC election at Ballari local body constituency has been declared. Congress is likely to re-field incumbent MLC KC Kondaiah. The saffron party has submitted five names to the core committee, including Channabasanagouda, the defeated candidate in the previous MLC election. Meanwhile, KC Kondaiah has already completed one round of campaigning by meeting with elected officials in local governments.
Y Satish, Gonal Rajashekhar, Channabasanagoudra, Dharmendra Singh, and Dammuru Shekhar are BJP's MLC candidates. Tourism minister Anand Singh, transport minister B Sriramulu, MLA Somashekhar Reddy, Janardan Reddy, and other BJP leaders need to work hard to retain the constituency, but they seem to have lost enthusiasm for the MLC elections for a variety of reasons, including the separation of Vijayanagara district from Ballari.
“We should not underestimate Congress candidate Kondaiah in this election because he won the previous MLC poll by a large margin. However, if leaders and workers work together in the election, the BJP will have better chances. I hope the party will consider me as a candidate, but the final decision will be made by the party,” said Y Satish.
Mrutyunjaya Jinaga represented this constituency during the Reddy brothers' tenure, but in the previous election, BJP candidate Channabasanagoudru (who got only 1,500 votes) was defeated by KC Kondaiah by a huge margin (secured 3,098 votes). This time, 4,663 people are eligible to vote in the constituency, which includes MPs, MLCs, and MLAs from 11 taluks in both districts.
In Congress, Kondaiah may be the undisputed candidate, but some party leaders have been demanding ticket for a Dalit candidate. " There is no strong Dalit voice in in the council from the Kalyana Karnataka region. If the Congress gives a ticket to a Dalit leader in the Ballari local body MLC election, it will help to raise community issues of the backward area," said a Congress leader from the Dalit community in the Ballari district.
KC Kondaiah (Congress)
Y Satish