Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy pushes candidates for Karnataka MLC posts

Reddy, who was not included in the cabinet of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, was in New Delhi on Wednesday to lobby for two MLC posts.
Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy  (File | EPS)
Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy (File | EPS)

BENGALURU: Senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy is keen on having a say in who will be party’s candidate in the upcoming bypolls to Karnataka Legislative Council. Reddy, who was not included in the cabinet of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, was in New Delhi on Wednesday to lobby for two Member of Legislative Council (MLC) posts. The former minister met Congress Legislative Party Chief Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara hours before they huddled up with All India Congress Committee President Rahul Gandhi to finalise the candidates list.

Ramalinga Reddy, unlike his counterparts, chose to remain mum and maintain distance from the Congress after being sidelined from the cabinet. His intervention, however, was sought for the BBMP mayor elections given his clout with city corporators. Reddy is pushing for U B Venkatesh and M C Venugopal to be nominated as the Congress’ candidates in the MLC polls. Venugopal had been the party’s candidate for Jayanagar assembly constituency in 2013. The ticket was, this time, given to Reddy’s daughter Sowmya with an assurance that Venugopal would be made an MLC.

Venugopal, a Parameshwara man, did not receive as much support from the Deputy Chief Minister who is lobbying for Nivedith Alva for the MLC post. Ramalinga Reddy had to step in to back Venugopal in his bid to keep up his assurance. U B Venkatesh, another resident of Jayanagar constituency is also being backed by Reddy. Venkatesh, a businessman, was a ticket aspirant in 2013 as well as 2018 assembly polls from the same constituency.

“I met our state leaders in New Delhi and have put forward my requests for the upcoming MLC polls. I haven’t met the high command,” Ramalinga Reddy told TNIE on his visit to New Delhi.  The Congress is heavily dependent on Reddy to stitch up the support of independent corporators to gather enough numbers for the Mayor elections slated later in the month. Given his significance in the Mayoral polls as well as goodwill, he has shown despite not being included in the cabinet is likely to add weight to the candidates he has put forward.

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