Fissures have begun to surface in the Congress regarding probable names recommended by the KPCC.
It is even before the AICC central election committee has taken a decision on shortlisting the nominees for the Lok Sabha elections.
Three prominent Congress leaders, including former legislator Manohar Ainapur, in a joint press conference had urged the party central leaders not to give party ticket to cricketer-turned-politician Prakash Rathod. They stated that the Congress taking note of the numeric strength of the Banjara community in Bijapur district had given ticket to one of its members.
But Prakash Rathod, the party’s nominee had lost in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections. They claimed that Rathod, a non-resident of the district used to surface in the district only during elections. The defiant party leaders will also be going to Delhi to meet AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, general secretaries Digvijay Singh, Madhusudan Mistry and others in this regard.
When contacted Prakash Rathod said, “All the sitting Congress MLAs in Lok Sabha segments and other prominent leaders have supported me. When the Congress was facing difficulty in the district I stood by it and fought to regain the lost ground.”