Aides of DKS, Siddaramaiah position selves at opposite sides for ’23 Karnataka poll tickets

BENGALURU:  As the 2023 Assembly polls are approaching fast, factionalism within Congress has come to the fore again with supporters of KPCC president DK Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah taking positions to get party tickets. In Magadi, four-time MLA HC Balakrishna, who was disillusioned after being denied a cabinet berth in any of the alliance governments in which JDS was involved, joined Congress reposing faith in Shivakumar.

But now with former minister H M Revanna, a Kuruba leader and an adviser to Siddaramaiah, seriously thinking of contesting from Magadi, Balakirshna has written a letter against Revanna to Shivakumar.
What has been irritating Balakrishna is that Revanna openly heaped praises on JDS MLA A Manjunath, who is also close to Higher Education Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan.

“If you give Revanna a ticket, I will work in his favour,” Balakrishan wrote ironically to Shivakumar. Revanna, who had lost polls in Magadi and Channapatna in the 2018 bypolls, now wishes to go back to Magadi, sources said. But the ticket is likely to be given to Balakrishna. Revanna, however, has been giving some jitters to the party as Magadi is his ‘home turf’ for several years, they said.

At Kalaghatagi in Dharwad district, former minister Santhosh Lad, a staunch supporter of Siddaramaiah, is facing a challenge from former MLC Nagaraj Chebbi, who identifies himself with Belagavi Rural MLA Laxmi R Hebbalkar. Chebbi has already started campaigning with the blessings of Shivakumar as Lad was not active in the Assembly segment for sometime. Lad may be asked to switch to the Hospet seat, a source informed. 

At Sira, Tiptur, Tumakuru City in Tumakuru district as well, ticket aspirants identified with Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have started lobbying. Those who miss out on a Congress ticket could join JDS, a source said. It is interesting to see how the party high command will placate disillusioned leaders, as some will not get party tickets. The party has conducted many internal surveys by various agencies and commissioned by different leaders within Congress.