Karnataka Youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad on Thursday resigned from the post in protest against denial of ticket to him for the assembly polls in the state.
Sources said Arshad was keen on contesting from Muslim-dominated Narasimharaja assembly constituency in Mysore but the Congress leadership refused to oblige him.
The party, which has so far finalised 100 out of the total 224 seats, has decided to retain legislator Tanveer Sait in the seat given that his family wields considerable clout in the region.
From 1967 till his death in 2001, Tanveer's father Azeez Sait held the seat consistently, except on two occasions - in 1985 when he was a Lok Sabha member and in 1994 when the BJP Maruti Rao Pawar wrested it. Tanveer has so far thrice won the polls from the constituency.
Arshad - who is considered close to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi - confirmed his decision to resign to HT.
Sources said the leadership conveyed Arshad that denial of ticket to Tanveer would impact the outcome of results in about 5-6 surrounding constituencies. The Congress enjoys a stronghold in Mysore region, having bagged eight of the 11 seats.
"Since every seat counts, it would have been difficult to accommodate Arshad's demand," a senior Congress leader said. Another leader said Arshad was given the choice of Chamrajpet seat in Bangalore, from where former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna had fought the 2004 assembly polls, but he wanted a "safe" seat.
{{/usCountry}}"Since every seat counts, it would have been difficult to accommodate Arshad's demand," a senior Congress leader said. Another leader said Arshad was given the choice of Chamrajpet seat in Bangalore, from where former Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna had fought the 2004 assembly polls, but he wanted a "safe" seat.
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