MYSURU: As the Congress screening committee is about to finalise candidates for the Assembly elections, party leaders are under pressure not to induct Sericulture Minister KC Narayan Gowda into the party and to let him contest from the KR Pet constituency.
Narayana Gowda, who got elected from JDS in the 2018 election, had switched over to BJP to help it form the government. Later, he won the by-election from KR Pet and created history. Recently, he hit the headlines, hinting that Congress had extended him an invite. Now, it is almost certain that he would join Congress in the presence of KPCC president DK Shivakumar during the Prajadhwani Yatra on March 13.
Angry with the development, Mandya Congress leaders N Chaluvarayaswamy, PM Narendraswamy, ticket aspirants Vijayarame Gowda, Nagendra, B Prakash, Kikere Prakash, former MLA Chandrashekar and four others held a closed-door meeting with CLP leader Siddaramaiah. They said they will work for the party’s victory if one among the six aspirants is fielded in KR Pet. They argued that Gowda has become unpopular, has lost sympathy and his entry would be a liability.
Siddaramaiah told them that the party will conduct a survey. Congress is also looking at cash-rich candidates to take on BJP and JDS, which is a force in the constituency.
Unhappy with the response, the aspirants and leaders have knocked on the doors of former MP Rehman Khan and have appealed to him to stop Narayana Gowda’s entry into the party.
Meanwhile, Congress workers protested in KR Pet and set fire to banners, bunting, and publicity material, opposing the induction of Gowda.
They wanted to know Gowda’s contribution to Congress and sought reasons for denying the ticket to the aspirants. They said though Congress lost the last two elections from the constituency, they have organised the party at the booth level and why should Gowda be brought in after his stints with BSP, JDS and BJP.
The Congressmen alleged that Gowda and his supporters have targeted them and humiliated them in the constituency. The striking party workers accosted Gangadhar for more than 2 hours and wanted him to apprise them of the survey report and to send out a video message to say that it will not be a smooth journey for Gowda in Congress. Gangdhar wound up the meeting and left the Congress office.