The State Congress has decided to get into micro-level management for the Hebbal Assembly byelection.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday invited Congress ministers and legislators from Bengaluru for a breakfast meeting at his official residence to work out a strategy for the byelections .
Siddaramaiah seems to have taken personal interest in wresting the Hebbal seat from the BJP. On Saturday, Siddaramaiah made four ministers from Bengaluru - Roshan Baig, Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao and Ramalinga Reddy - in charge of two BBMP wards each in the constituency. They have been directed to tour the wards and keep in touch with party workers.
There are 8 BBMP wards - Radhakrishna Temple, Sanjaynagar, Ganganagar, Hebbal, Vishwanathanagenahalli, Manorayanapalya, Gangenahalli and J C Nagar - in Hebbal Assembly segment. Siddaramaiah has also managed to get an informal nod from the party high command for fielding a candidate of his choice - Byrathi Suresh.
Siddaramaiah is of the opinion that the Congress can put the 2015 BBMP election drubbing behind it by winning the Hebbal seat. In 2013 Assembly polls, BJP candidate Jagadish Kumar won the seat defeating Congress candidate Rahaman Sharief by a margin of 5,000 votes. Kumar’s sudden demise has necessitated the byelection.
Rahaman Sharief is the grandson of former Union Minister Jaffer Sharief. Sharief, it seems, has not given up hopes of getting a party ticket for his grandson.
