Parties planning to outsmart each other in bypolls

All three major parties of the BJP, the Congress and the JD(S) have started chalking out strategies to outsmart their rivals.

Of the five seats -- Govindarajnagar, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Kollegal and Chittapur -- four were held by the Congress and the JD(S) one.

While Channapatna and Govindarajnagar seats fell vacant with Congress MLAs C P Yogeshwara and V Somanna defecting to the BJP before the recent Lok Sabha polls, Chittapur, Kollegal and Ramanagara constituencies are facing bypolls as MLAs from these seats -- Mallikarjuna Kharge, R Dhruvanarayan and H D Kumaraswamy -- became MPs.

Strategies

The KPCC has convened a meeting of leaders in Bangalore on Monday to work out strategies, while the JD(S) held a meeting of its leaders from Govindrajnagar on Saturday. Leaders of the ruling BJP are likely to meet early next week for this purpose.

Hectic lobbying is on among ticket aspirants in all three parties.

Interestingly, kith and kin of prominent leaders are in the list of probable candidates.

Priyank Kharge, son of Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, is one among the contenders for the Congress ticket from Chittapur.

Similarly, name of Bhavani, wife of H D Revanna, has been making rounds as the probable candidate for Ramanagara. But, sources said, the party has not taken any decision as yet.

Former minister H M Revanna, who unsuccessfully contested from Hebbal in the last Assembly elections, is trying to contest as the Congress candidate from Govindarajnagar seat.

Vijaya Nagar MLA M Krishnappa’s son Priya Krishna’s name is doing rounds for the candidature. Other aspirants are ex-corporators Jayaram and Krishnappa. The BJP is most likely to field Housing Minister V Somanna, who will be seeking re-election from the constituency.

KPCC working president D K Shivakumar is said to have been lobbying for the ticket to his younger brother D K Suresh from Channapatna, while the BJP is likely to filed C P Yogeshwara. The JD(S) is toying with the idea of fielding M C Ashwatha.

Ramanagara JD(S) district unit president Raju is one among the prominent contenders for Ramanagar seat. Raju is said to be a loyal party worker and a close-confident of Kumaraswamy. The Congress is said to have decided to field former MLA C M Lingappa from the seat.

For Kollegal seat, the BJP is likely to pick the name of A R Krishnamurthy, while the JD(S) would field S Jayanna. Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah would take the final call on the party candidate.