Former Minister and Congress leader Kumar Bangarappa on Saturday said he will file nomination papers on Wednesday between 1.55 pm and 2.15 pm, if the party fails to give him the ticket.
He told reporters at his residence that though Congress candidate Manjunath Bhandary has filed Form A and B, there is a chance of filing Form C. There are a number of instances where changes are made in the eleventh hour, he added.
Congress conducted a number of surveys in the last one month and relied on intelligence report to elicit an opinion. Finally, it was decided to give the ticket to a candidate from Idiga (Deevaru) community. But now, the party overlooked this decision and gave the ticket to Bhandary, he said.
“Let the party field senior leader (Assembly Speaker) Kagodu Thimmappa. We will work together to ensure his victory with huge margin,” he added.
He said he will meet the AICC leaders in New Delhi on Monday and convince them about the ground reality.
He said he had already informed this to senior leaders, including former Chief Minister S M Krishna.
“Congress suffered a setback when our father Bangarappa joined BJP, SP and later JD(S). It should not repeat again. Neither (actor) Shivarajkumar nor his wife Geetha will make any impact on the Congress. When some Congress leaders approached me, I told them let those who have chosen the present candidate elect him. But so far, Bhandary has not contacted me”, he said. Geetha is Kumar’s sister.
“My mother is suffering from cancer and she is in hospital for the last three months. Madhu (brother and Youth JD(S) president) tried to make my mother as the candidate through Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy. It is cheap politics. If Madhu has such confidence, let him contest the election. People are aware of the politics of Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy”, he said.
“Madhu is trying to cash in on my mother’s health. Even Shivarajkumar is also doing the same thing. It is a tragedy to bring her name just to seek votes,” he said.