Bengaluru, March 18 Amid intense lobbying, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that the selection of candidates for the April 9 assembly bypolls to the Bagalkote and Davanagere Assembly constituencies will be decided by the Congress high command, with consultations underway based on ground reports.
He said a team has already visited both constituencies and a final decision will be taken after discussions with senior leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala.
“Whether it is Bagalkote or Davanagere, that is a decision to be taken by the high command. Randeep Singh Surjewala is coming to Karnataka on Friday… A team visited Davanagere yesterday and also went to Bagalkote. They will submit a report. Based on that report, I will discuss with Shivakumar and speak to Surjewala before sending my recommendation,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
Addressing the internal competition for tickets, particularly in Bagalkote, the CM said that multiple aspirants from the Meti family have been asked to remain united.
“Three members from the Meti family had sought the ticket—Mallikarjun, Umesh, and Mahadevi. I have told all three of them that whoever is given the ticket, all of you must work together in unity,” he said, adding that they have agreed to the proposal.
On reports of a possible rebellion by one of the aspirants, Siddaramaiah downplayed the claims, saying, “I don’t know about that… They have agreed with me,” while clarifying that he had not asked them to hold any joint press conference.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar, who is also the Congress Karnataka unit president, indicated that consultations are ongoing and a report has been submitted to the party leadership. Referring to the situation in Davanagere, he said that several aspirants, including family members, have staked claim.
“I have submitted a report. I have discussed with the Chief Minister… Around 80 family members were called for discussions today. Various aspirants have met me… I will submit my report to the high command, and a decision will be taken within a couple of days,” he told reporters in Delhi, noting that time is short with elections scheduled on April 9.
The bypolls were necessitated following the deaths of sitting Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, which resulted in vacancies in the Davanagere South and Bagalkote Assembly segments respectively.
The bypolls are likely to witness a keen contest, with the ruling Congress aiming to retain both constituencies while opposition parties prepare to mount a strong challenge.