The septuagenarian,--who believes he could be a front-runner if Congress party was really keen to form the government  with the support of H D Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal [Secular] –  on Wednesday met a series of top Congress leaders. And that included heir-apparent of Congress – AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi. The senior leader held a detailed discussion with the Gandhi junior and explained to him the political situation in Karnataka. He had on Tuesday called on AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Prithviraj Chavan.
Rajasekharan spoke to several other key leaders over the last two days.

They included ministers Arjun Singh and Sharad Pawar. He is planning to call on Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Defence Minister A K Antony (Antony was Karnataka in-charge till recently)  also.

The Union minister said his objective in meeting these leaders was to strengthen the party and stop BJP’s surge in the State.

 “I know that various inferences would be drawn but that’s not my agenda”.

CM dreams
The affable leader, a Lingayat, is banking on a turn of events in the immediate future. If Congress cozies up to Gowda, he thinks there is a possibility of the former prime minister suggesting his name to the chief ministership as he is a Lingayat. Gowda and Rajasekharan, who have been meeting often for the last several years, have excellent rapport.

Supporting Rajasekharan for CM’s post would wash away, to some extent, the anti-Lingayat tag of Gowda.

Rajasekharan also may hope for the Congress party to back him because of his community.

In the recent past, Lingayats have been perceived to be moving away from Congress because of a variety of reasons, the major being that no Lingayat was put in any key post by Congress.

Another Karnataka leader Veerappa Moily also  met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.