BENGALURU: With the BJP-JDS alliance poised to jointly contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress is struggling to put together a shortlist of probables in Karnataka. Ministers who were tasked with giving ground reports on individual seats have yet to submit them.
Interestingly, in a majority of seats, names of family members of ministers and heavyweights have come to the fore, sources said. Due to a lack of candidates who fit the bill, the party leadership is looking to field heavyweights as AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge’s prestige is at stake on his home turf. The party had suffered a debacle in the last LS polls.
The plan now is to field family members of ministers, a source said. For Bidar LS seat, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s son Sagar’s name is doing the rounds. In Uttara Kannada, former minister RV Deshpande’s son Prashanth and former Union minister Margaret Alva’s son Nivedit Alva are in the reckoning, as is former minister T B Jayachandra’s son Sanjay in Tumakuru.
Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa’s son Sunil Bose in Chamarajanagar, former minister Vinay Kulkarni’s younger brother Vijay, and Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar’s relative Rajath Ullagaddimath have emerged frontrunners in Hubballi-Dharwad.
Laxmi and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi are pushing their children in Belagavi and Chikkodi respectively, while Youth Empowerment Minister B Nagendra is trying to project a family member in Ballari.
Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna wants to contest from Tumakuru LS seat, and if he wins, he wants to field his son Raveendra from the Madhugiri assembly constituency. His elder son Rajendra is sitting MLC from the local bodies.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra’s name was suggested for Mysuru, but after the BJP-JDS alliance, the latter has stepped back, a source said. “Siddaramaiah should take it as a challenge and field his son,” the source added.
In Bengaluru Rural, sitting MP DK Suresh is on shaky ground and is planning to switch to a safe seat such as Bengaluru North, observed another Congress leader. The BJP is looking for a new face after sitting MP D V Sadananda Gowda announced his retirement.
“The ministers tasked with shortlisting probable names visited the constituencies and held meetings. Now I am meeting them confidentially with their reports. In 2-3 days, a list of probables will be submitted,” Deputy CM Shivakumar told reporters on Monday. According to sources, he will discuss the list with Kharge who is in town.