Former MLA’s supporters protest outside Cong office

Belagavi: Top Congress leaders were left embarrassed here on Thursday after followers of two-time former MLA Ramesh Kudachi protested outside the district Congress office building alleging a conspiracy against their leader. Kudachi’s followers led by Babulal Bagawan created chaos when they were stopped from meeting top Congress leaders. They shouted slogans in favour of Kudachi.
AICC general secretary Randeep Surjewala, KPCC president DK Shivakumar, opposition leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC working presidents Satish Jarkiholi and Saleem Ahmed and many other leaders took part in a meeting to discuss preparations ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Belagavi on March 20.
In a letter to the party’s Karnataka in-charge Randeep Surjewala. Kudachi has stated that he had applied for the party ticket to contest from Belagavi (South) constituency along with a demand draft for Rs 2 lakh in the name of KPCC office. However, his name is missing in the list of ticket aspirants of Belagavi (South). He has alleged that it’s a conspiracy against him within the party.
Kudachi is a four-time corporator of Belagavi City Corporation, two-time mayor, and a two-time MLA from the Belagavi assembly constituency before delimitation in 2008. He was elected twice to the assembly in 1999 and 2004. The Congress denied him the ticket in the 2009 elections. A miffed Kudachi contested on a JD(S) ticket but was defeated. After that, he has stayed away from electoral politics.
A 72-year-old Kudachi rejoined Congress a year ago and has been working in Belagavi (South) constituency for the past few months, on the directions of KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi.
“I don’t think my leader Satish Jarkiholi would have known about the conspiracy being hatched against me, as some leaders at the low-level are doing this. However, I assure the party that if I am given the ticket, Congress will win both Belagavi South and North constituencies,” Kudachi told TOI.