JOIN USSampangi yet to get support within party
With none of the parties in the constituency having declared the official candidate for the Assembly elections, hopefuls in all parties are quite desperate to make it to the list.
Union Minister K H Muniyappa’s daughter Roopakala of the Congress, former Legislator M Bhaktavatsalam of the JD(S) and Vallal Muniswamy of the BSR have virtually no competitors within their parties. In the KJP, however, there is a lot of competition for the ticket.
But the only contestant in the constituency who has a lot of opposition within the party itself is BJP legislator Y Sampangi. The Special Lokayukta Court sentenced Sampangi to three years rigorous punishment and fined him receiving bribe. The BJP, therefore, is said to have decided not to give Sampangi the ticket this elections. The only BJP core committee member known to have stood in support of the legislator has been former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, said sources in the party.
The sources added that the legislator has never been on good terms with partymen in the constituency. Instead, he is known to have gathered a separate group of supporters. His relationship with Muniratnam Naidu, known to have been Sampangi’s mentor, too has soured over time, to the extent of both becoming virtual foes. Naidu has even gone around saying his sole aim is to ensure Sampangi loses the coming polls to him.
Vikramadityan, chairperson of the Kolar Gold Fields Urban Development Authority and BJP taluk leader and Naveenram, party leader, have objected the strongest to giving Sampangi the ticket.
Instead the leaders are being urged to select from four substitutes- Dr Arivalagan and Dr Dinakaran, famed surgeons, Mutyalamma, Zilla Panchayat member, and Anekal Nagaraj, from Sarjapur in Bangalore Rural district- whose names have been suggested as possible candidates for the BJP.
Independent entry
Sampangi’s supporters, in turn, are apparently urging the legislator to contest the elections as an Independent, if he is denied a ticket from the BJP.
At a recent meeting of the supporters at Bethamangala, they had even said the only way for the BJP to win at Kolar Gold Fields was to give Sampangi the ticket for the constituency. “If not, be ready to fight him as he would definitely contest as an Independent,” they had warned the party leaders.
Neutral
BJP leaders from Kolar Gold Fields Suresh Narayan Kutti, Bata Gopal and Ramachandra, in contrast, have said they are unconcerned who the party fields for the polls.
They have said they would only campaign for and support the party contestant, regardless of who he or she would be.
Little opposition
Srinivas, who had lost the elections as a Congress candidate, has been trying to contest this time too, but the most popular contestant from the party is Muniyappa’s daughter Roopakala. Members of the party at taluk, district and even State levels are all expressing preference to Roopakala over any other candidate from Kolar Gold Fields.
In the JD(S), former legislator M Bhaktavatsalam and NGEF former chairperson V Shankar had been in contest against each other, but now, Shankar is trying for the ticket from CV Raman Nagar in Bangalore. His name has also been recommended to the party high command, leaving the path free for Bhaktavatsalam to contest.
The only possible hurdle for the former legislator is said to be Sampangi, as there are rumours of the MLA moving to the JD(S) if denied the BJP ticket.
Still doubtful
Bhaskaran of Bangalore and Venkateshappa are in contest to get the KJP ticket. Vallal Muniswamy of the BSR has more or less got the ticket, but apparently, he is yet to take a definite decision on whether he will contest the elections or not. In the backdrop of such conditions, other parties have been trying to woo him.
RPI’s S Rajendra, who has been a legislator on two occasions, has been hoping to contest this time too. While on the last occasion he had received external support from the Congress, this time the conditions are yet to be clarified. There are also chances of his contesting as an Independent without any party support.