Bengaluru: With Laxman Savadi getting ticket from Athani constituency and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah's favourite Kothur G Manjunath managing ticket from Kolar constituency, the Congress party has released its third list of 43 candidates for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
Former Karnataka Deputy chief minister Savadi who left the party after being denied ticket by the saffron brigade was accommodated by the Congress. In their third list the senior BJP-Turned-Congress leader was given the ticket from the Athani constituency. The much-awaited Kolar seat has been offered to Kothur G Manjunath, which was being eyed by former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for a long time.
After releasing the list former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress Chief D K Shivakumar have criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for denying a ticket to Laxman Savadi, a senior leader in the party. Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah said that Savadi should have been treated better by the BJP, while Shivakumar emphasized that the BJP had humiliated him.
"He (Laxman Savadi) feels that he has been humiliated (by the BJP). It is our duty to take such great leaders into Congress. Around 9-10 sitting legislators want to join us but we don't have space to accommodate them" Siddaramaiah said.
Savadi, who had quit the BJP after being denied a ticket to contest the polls, met with Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru and was subsequently given a ticket by the Congress to contest from Athani. According to sources, he had been in touch with both the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) and was weighing his options before leaving the BJP.
On the other hand, the BJP has expressed strong opposition to Congress's decision to give a ticket to Savadi, who recently left the BJP. Arun Singh, the BJP Karnataka in-charge, said that Savadi had made a big mistake by joining a party where the leaders are divided into two groups, and that he would regret it later.
Not only Savadi but, in a bid to accommodate the turncoats, the Congress has fielded former BJP MLC Baburao Chinchansur from Gurmitkal, from where he has been a three-time MLA. Similarly, former BJP MLA N.Y. Gopalakrishna, who joined the Congress a few days ago, has been fielded from Molakalmuru, a ST seat. The move to field turncoats has raised some eyebrows, with many questioning the party's commitment to its ideology.
