Consensus eludes Congress on Council, Rajya Sabha candidates

Long list of aspirants makes the selection difficult for leaders

 With a long list of aspirants vying with each other in the ruling party to become members of Upper House both in the State legislature and the parliament, the Congress leaders on Friday failed to arrive at a concensus on shortlisting the candidates.

At a meeting held by AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka Digvijay Singh, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief G Parameshwara, it was decided to select candidates for the coming elections to the State Legislative Council based on the representation of different communities in the Upper House. 

They resolved to have a broad framework for candidates’ selection. The ruling party can nominate three persons and get at least four persons elected to the Council from the Assembly. 

Over two dozen aspirants are lobbying to become MLCs in the ruling party. KPCC chief G Parameshwara, who lost his election from Koratagere in 2013 assembly election, too has been trying to enter the Upper House. 

Moreover, the chief minister and the KPCC chief are learnt to have come up with their own lists of probable candidates, mostly their loyalists, to be made MLCs, sources said.

Key contenders

Besides Parameshwara, former minister Rani Satish, businessman K P Nanjundi, H M Revanna, Boseraj, State Congress women’s wing president Manjula Naidu and former MP from Mandya Ramya are among the key contenders to become MLCs. Digvijay Singh was in Bangalore on a private visit. But he chose to meet the State leaders as the elections are fast nearing.

Similarly, the leaders could not come to any consensus on the elections to Rajya Sabha. The party can send at least two members to Rajya Sabha. The party can win one more seat if it succeeds to strike a deal with the JD(S).

Several names have cropped up for becoming MPs in the party. Prominent among them are B K Hariprasad, S M Krishna, C M Ibrahim and Kupendra Reddy. It is also said that former Union finance minister P Chidambaram is planning to enter Rajya Sabha from the State.

Singh, as a result, is learnt to have asked both Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara to come to Delhi either on June 4 or 5 with a list of probable candidates. The party high command will finalise the candidates. 

However, the leaders finalised names of party’s candidates for elections to four legislative council seats – two graduate constituencies and two teachers’ constituencies. Prof Murugendrappa and S S Neeralakeri for the South-East Graduate constituency and West Graduate constituency respectively. 

Ventakesh and Sharanappa Mattura for Bangalore Teachers’ constituency and North-East Teachers’ constituency respectively. 

Besides, the leaders have decided to go ahead with nominations to various boards and corporations of the government as their heads and members.