New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has rewarded former BJP Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who had joined the Congress before the Karnataka assembly polls, and Rahul Gandhi’s trusted minister NS Boseraju by naming them as party candidates for the upcoming MLC bypolls.
On Monday, Kharge approved the names of Shettar, Boseraju and Tippannappa Kamaknoor for the forthcoming MLC bypolls in the southern state where the recently elected 135 MLAs will vote in the elections for the Legislative Council. Shettar joining the Congress ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls had exposed the state BJP as a divided house and had brought the significant Lingayat community votes to the grand old party.
Shettar had been given a ticket by the Congress from Hubli's central seat, but lost the polls. However, his presence benefitted the Congress in the crucial Hubli-Dharwad area of the state with the dominant Lingayats influencing around 120 Assembly seats from Bidar to Tumkur. Besides, the Lingayat community has around 10,000 Mutts across the state, which are very influential.
Shettar was the biggest Lingayat leader in the BJP after former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. The BJP had to remove Yediyurappa earlier over corruption charges, but the party was forced to bring back the veteran in this election to deal with huge dissatisfaction among the Lingayats. Shettar may be made a minister in the government of K Siddaramaiah when he becomes an MLC, said party insiders, adding that the high command would take a final call on the issue after the polls.
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Both Rahul and Priyanka had campaigned in the crucial Hubli area. Boseraju, who had arranged a massive rally in Raichur, during Rahul’s 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', had impressed the former party chief. Later, Boseraju wanted to contest the Assembly polls from Raichur, but was asked by Rahul personally to give up his claim as it would have disturbed the caste calculations of the party strategists. The veteran obeyed the order of Rahul and was later named a minister in the new cabinet at Rahul’s recommendation although he was not an MLA. Therefore, an MLC seat was offered to him, said party insiders.
Tippannappa is a resident of Kalburgi, the native place of Kharge and has been an MLC earlier. He belongs to the Besta or Kohli backward community, which is not adequately represented in the Assembly. Hence, the nomination for an MLC seat.
The last date for the MLC bypoll nomination is June 24 and the polling will take place on June 30. “We hope no other persons will file their nominations for the MLC polls and the election of our candidates will be unanimous. Even if the BJP and the JD-S come together to fight the Congress nominees, we have the numbers and will defeat them,” senior state leader Prakash Rathod told ETV Bharat.
“We need a senior person like Shettar in the Council where his experience will come in handy during the debates. It will also be a reminder to the BJP,” he said. In high-decibel polls, the BJP could win only 66 seats as compared to 135 of the Congress. The JD-S secured 19 and others four in the House of 224 members.
