E-Paper
Disquiet grows in Cong over Kolar candidature
The six legislators who have threatened to resign include education minister MC Sudhakar offered their resignation during a meeting with national Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge.
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar convened a meeting on Thursday, a day after six of its leaders threatened to resign over fielding food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa’s son-in-law Chikka Peddanna from the Kolar Lok Sabha constituency.
The six legislators who have threatened to resign include education minister MC Sudhakar offered their resignation during a meeting with national Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge.
The CM held the meeting with deputy chief minister Shivakumar, ministers Byrathi Suresh and M C Sudhakar and Legislators Nanjegowda, Anil Kumar and Pradeep Eshwar were also present. “We will take a decision after holding a discussion with the leaders in the district,” he said.
According to people familiar with the matter, there is a dissent among some senior leaders on food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa’s family member being offered the ticket for Kolar constituency.
The opposing leaders are education minister MC Sudhakar, Kolar MLA Kothur Manjunath, Malur MLA KY Nanje Gowda, Bangarpet MLA SN Narayanaswamy, and Members of Legislative Council (MLCs) Naseer Ahmed and Anil Kumar.
The contention comes after minister Muniyappa’s son-in-law, KG Chikka Peddanna, was touted as the candidate for Kolar. The party has not yet declared its candidate from the Kolar seat.
During the AICC meeting, former Rajya Sabha member L Hanumanthaiah emerged as a potential compromise candidate. The battle for dominance in Kolar between Muniyappa and Anil Kumar has intensified the struggle.
Muniyappa said that his son-in-law, being a Dalit “Left,” is the rightful contender. However, the opposing faction insists on a Dalit “Right” candidate, citing the significant representation of this demographic in the constituency.
While the Dalit “Left” denotes the more marginalised members of the community, the Dalit “Right” signifies those who are more educated and economically prosperous.
Following a meeting with Kharge in Bengaluru, Sudhakar said, “There is a general feeling in the constituency that the SC community is not being represented. We want a candidate from other than the Muniyappa family.”
In response, Muniyappa said, “I am bound by the decision of the High Command.”
KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) chief and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar sought to downplay the discord and called for a collective effort towards securing victory in Kolar.
Speaking from his residence in Bengaluru, he assured that the issue would be discussed in a meeting with chief minister Siddaramaiah. “The issue will be discussed in a meeting with chief minister Siddaramaiah. No one will resign from the party over this,” he said.
Meanwhile, deputy CM DK Shivakumar said that there was no room for individual interest in the party, adding that all the party leaders would work towards victory in Kolar.
