Bagalkote (Karnataka), March 14 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated on Saturday that the Congress is ready for the upcoming by-elections to the Bagalkote and Davangere South Assembly constituencies.
The by-elections for the Bagalkote and Davanagere South assembly constituencies have been necessitated following the deaths of incumbent Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
"The preparations for the by-elections are complete. We are ready for the by-election," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question about the by-elections.
Stating that the Congress high command will decide on the candidates for the by-elections, the CM said, "In Bagalkote, the family members of the late H Y Meti are also strong contenders. It is not wrong to have aspirations; we (state leaders) will consider all aspects and recommend a candidate. The high command will make the final decision."
He added that the date for the by-elections may be announced within a week.
The state Congress had recently constituted steering committees for both segments to select candidates and formulate necessary electoral strategies for the victory of party candidates.
In Bagalkote, Congress's Meti defeated BJP's Veeranna Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in the 2023 Assembly polls. In Davangere South, Congress's Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by a margin of 27,888 votes.
On the LPG supply constraints, especially commercial cylinders, caused by the West Asia conflict, the chief minister said that it is the responsibility of the central government to ensure supplies.
"Who should supply gas cylinders? It is the central government. If they supply, the state will ensure distribution. Our Food and Civil Supplies Minister (K H Muniyapopa) has held two meetings (with oil companies). I wrote a letter to the concerned central minister to ensure there is no shortage. It is the responsibility of the Government of India," he added.
In response to a question regarding the implementation of internal reservation in recruitment to government jobs, Siddaramaiah said he has called a special cabinet meeting to discuss it on March 27, and a final decision will be made there.
There are reports about alleged rifts between the SC (Right) and SC (Left) factions within the ruling Congress regarding internal reservation during the recruitment announced for 56,432 vacant jobs.
The state government had recently decided to conduct recruitment based on the reservation order in force before December 28, 2022 (15 per cent for SCs and 3 per cent for STs), due to the stay on the enhanced quota and internal reservation, while continuing to pursue its case in court.