BENGALURU: Differences between original Congress leaders and newcomers continue to dog the grand old party, and are likely to have an adverse impact on the selection of candidates for the 2023 elections.The final objective report -- based on a sample survey of 224 assembly seats -- by the party’s election strategist for Karnataka Sunil Kanugolu, may turn unpleasant for the rival camps as safeguarding their supporters’ interests would be paramount for the leaders, said a Congress veteran. KPCC president DK Shivakumar and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah would be under pressure to protect the interests of their loyalists and well-wishers.
Siddaramaiah held a meeting with former minister M R Seetharam, who was miffed after being denied an MLC nomination, and convinced him not to quit the party. He had also reportedly promised to give a ticket to Seetharam’s son Raksha Ramaiah, who was recently made general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress. Many supporters of Siddaramaiah, who are actively involved in organising his 75th birthday bash at Davanagere on August 3, have similar expectations from him, a leader said.
On the other hand, Shivakumar and senior leaders H K Patil and B K Hariprasad visited former Union minister K H Muniyappa on Wednesday evening, as he was miffed over his detractors being inducted into the party by Siddaramaiah, in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi recently. Former MLAs Dr M C Sudhakar of Chintamani and Kotturu Manjunath of Mulabagilu are long-time rivals of Muniyappa. As he was making a move towards the JDS, Shivakumar convinced the only SC (Left) prominent leader of the region to stay put.
According to sources, he has demanded that his detractors should not support the Congress, but fulfilling this demand could spell trouble for the party, as Siddaramaiah is likely to take up the issue with Rahul Gandhi.