Karnataka Lok Sabha polls: Congress second list likely on Friday; relatives of Ministers and leaders may figure in it

March 13, 2024 08:45 pm | Updated 08:45 pm IST - BENGALURU

Sons, daughters, and relatives of some Ministers and leaders are expected to get Congress ticket to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka in the party’s second list of candidates which is likely to be announced on Friday.

The second list of candidates of the Congress in 21 Lok Sabha seats in the State is expected to be released after a meeting of the party’s central election committee in Delhi on March 14 and 15. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar are expected to attend the meeting presided by AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

In the first list last week, the party had announced candidates in seven constituencies.

The Congress is finding it tough to find winnable candidates in the three constituencies in Bengaluru, sources said. The party’s Central leaders have been putting pressure on Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to field his daughter and former MLA Sowmya Reddy in Bengaluru South. Sources said the father-daughter held a series of meetings with leaders of Assembly constituencies in Bengaluru South on Wednesday.

Similarly, the Congress leaders reportedly asked Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi to field his daughter Priyanka from Chikodi constituency and Minister for Women and Child Development Lakshmi Hebbalkar to field her son Mrinal from Belagavi constituency.

Speaking to reporters, Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa said he was not interested in contesting the election from Chamarajanagar and demanded ticket for his son Sunil Bose. The party has denied ticket thrice in the past to Mr. Bose and the same has been conveyed to the Central leaders of the party, he said.

In Kalaburagi, the party has left the choice to Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge. Mr. Kharge’s son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani has emerged as the front-runner for ticket to contest. The constituency is the home turf of the party’s president. The 81-year-old Kharge had won from Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Lok Sabha segment twice but lost the 2019 polls.

In Davangere too, Minister for Mines and Geology S.S. Mallikarjun’s wife Prabha Mallikarjun, daughter-in-law of party veteran Shamanur Shivashankarappa, is said to be the party’s top choice. Already, D.K. Suresh, Mr. Shivakumar’s brother, has been given ticket to contest from Bengaluru Rural constituency.