Cong primary for B'lore North may not throw up a candidate

Among four contenders, none is likely to get more than 50 per cent votes

The primary (internal elections) for the Bangalore North parliamentary constituency is scheduled for Thursday, amid speculation that none of the ticket aspirants will be able to secure the required number of votes to be eligible to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket.

Former MP C Narayanswamy (65), former MLA N L Narendra Babu (51), IIM-B Prof M V Rajeev Gowda (50) and KPCC president’s political secretary G C Chandrashekar (46) are in the fray, while the nomination papers of another aspirant Arathi Krishna have been kept pending. The party failed to ensure that popular and senior leaders contest the internal elections. While B L Shankar opted out of the race, citing “lack of seriousness” in conducting primaries, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda refused to enter the fray.

As many as 478 voters will exercise their franchise in the primary, which will be held at a resort in RT Nagar.

An aspirant has to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes to emerge victorious in the preferential voting system – each voter can make two choices as first preference and second preference. First preference vote carries 100 points, while second preference carries 50 points.

If none of the aspirants secures the required number of votes, the AICC election committee will select the candidate.  The BJP has fielded former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda in Bangalore North.