SHIVAMOGGA: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the Congress does not have candidates in 60 constituencies, and is hence, inviting leaders from here and there.
Bommai told reporters that prior to the release of the second list of candidates, KPCC president DK Shivakumar contacted numerous BJP MLAs and offered them tickets. “The Congress is failing to present viable candidates and is unable to establish a clear stance on matters related to reservation or development, which may result in the party performing poorly in the upcoming Assembly polls when compared to the 2018 Assembly elections,” he predicted.
When asked about the intense competition within his own party for tickets, Bommai responded that it is typical to have many aspirants and that the party will meet over the weekend to determine the final list of candidates. He emphasised that the candidate list is being prepared democratically, with the opinions of workers being considered, discussed, and analysed in taluk and district-level committees. Three names have been proposed for each constituency, according to Bommai.
‘Factionalism in Cong’
Regarding Shivakumar’s threat to cancel all the recent orders pertaining to reservations, including internal quota, the CM challenged the Congress leaders to carry it out. He argued that there is no need to pay special attention to factional politics within Congress as the members fight amongst themselves regularly.