K’taka polls: Cong faces dissent & rebellion after 2nd list announcement

BENGALURU: Dissent has come to the fore following the announcement of second list of candidates by the Congress even as the party leaders are underplaying the development.

Congress insiders, however, said that if the rebellion is not quelled, it is going to pose a serious challenge to the party in the Assembly elections scheduled for May 10.

The ticket aspirants who have missed the tickets, were staging protests, agitations and have warned that they would resign from the party membership and join the opposition.

The main contention is the priority given to leaders who had joined Congress recently from the BJP and JD(S) and neglecting the old party workers who claim to have put in efforts for years to build the party.

Raghu Achar, who missed the Chitradurga constituency ticket this time, has stated that he would join the JD(S) and contest against the Congress candidate. Sources said that Achar is certain to get a ticket from JD(S), and the Congress will have competition from its own leader here. Achar, a follower of Siddaramaiah, has said that the Congress won't win a seat in the entire district.

The supporters of Y.S.V. Dutta, a senior politician who joined the Congress recently from JD(S), are angry over the allotment of Kadur constituency ticket to K.S. Anand. The supporters are forcing Dutta to rejoin JD(S) and defeat the Congress candidate.

The Congress workers barged inside the party office in Mandya on Friday and vented out their ire on party leaders for issuing the ticket to Ravi Kumar to contest elections.

The supporters of K.K. Radhakrishna, a senior Congress leader, are disenchanted with the party. "If Radhakrishna is not assuaged, the party will have serious implications in the elections," sources explained.

Nagaraj Chabbi, aspirant for Kalghatgi constituency, has rebelled after the party allotted ticket to Santhosh Lad. Chabbi is preparing to resign from the party and join BJP.

The party's decision to allot a ticket of Monakalmuru constituency to N.Y. Gopalakrishna, who joined the Congress from BJP, has angered party senior worker and aspirant Yogesh Babu.

In Shirahatti constituency of Gadag, the Congress workers are demanding a ticket for Raichur Ambanna.

In Gokak constituency Ashok Pujari and D.B. Inamdar in Kittur constituency are upset.

At several places, the Congress workers are planning to go for mass resignations. Some senior Congress leaders are reported to be unhappy with the choice of candidates in Gangavathy, Channagiri and Tumakuru constituencies.