Cong. candidate for Channapatna seat will be announced in four to five days: Tanveer Sait

Pressure on former MP D.K. Suresh, who lost the Lok Sabha polls from Bengaluru rural seat early this year, to enter the poll fray in the high-voltage Channapatna bypoll, says the KPCC working president

KPCC Working president and Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait on Thursday said that the candidate for the high-voltage byelection in Channapatna assembly constituency will be announced in the next four to five days.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Sait said there is pressure on D.K. Suresh, former MP and brother of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, to contest from the Channapatna seat. “We too feel the continuation of Mr. Suresh in politics is required by contesting the by-poll. Of course, there is pressure on Mr. Suresh to take on the BJP and the JD(S) alliance candidate. Also, the people’s opinion in the constituency will be taken before announcing the candidate,” he added.

Responding to the party’s preparations for the by-elections to Channapatna, Sandur, and Shiggoan, Mr. Sait said the party had appointed observers to the constituencies in view of the byelection which is scheduled on November 13. Interested candidates can approach the party with an applications on their candidature. The party leadership will decide on the candidates, he explained.

However, the bypoll for Channapatna seat has generated a lot of curiosity. The Deputy Chief Minister had earlier expressed his wish of contesting from Channapatna. However, the decisions are taken based on the ground situations and the party will look into all the factors.

Asked whether the party was planning to field a Muslim candidate from Shiggaon seat, Mr. Sait admitted that there have been representations to the party from the community leaders for fielding a Muslim candidate for the seat. There has been pressure on the high command to field the candidate from the community, considering the fact that the community votes had come in sizable numbers to the party in the Lok Sabha polls from Shiggaon.

To a question on the party’s strategy to counter the BJP and JD(S) alliance candidate in the Channapatna seat, which was earlier represented by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel and Mandya MP H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Sait said, “The bypoll and the Lok Sabha poll scenarios’ are different. The Congress will romp home in the seat this by-poll.”

Published - October 17, 2024 06:55 pm IST