CM camp cosying up to JD(S) for victory in Hebbal bypoll

Congress is trying to have tacit understanding with the party

 Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp in the State Congress is trying to have a tacit understanding with the JD(S) in the byelection to Hebbal Assembly constituency, in order to ensure the victory of the party candidate.

Sources in the Congress said State youth Congress president Rizwan Arshad met JD(S) MLA from Chamarajpet Zameer Ahmed Khan on Saturday and sought his cooperation in the bypoll to Hebbal constituency.

The JD(S) has entrusted Zameer with the responsibility of the party election in Hebbal, which has sizable number of voters belonging to the minority community.  
The Congress is likely to field independent MLC Byrathi Suresh, who is a close follower of Siddaramaiah.

Minority votes

The Siddaramaiah camp wants to prevent JD(S) from playing a spoilsport in Hebbal by splitting the minority votes, which was one of the reasons for the defeat of C K Abdul Rahman Sharief, grandson of senior Congress leader C K Jaffer Sharief, in the 2013 Assembly elections.

Prestige issue

Winning the bypoll to Hebbal will be a prestige issue for Siddaramaiah, if the party high command gives the ticket to Byrathi Suresh.

Siddaramaiah has strongly backed the candidature of Suresh despite over a dozen party leaders aspiring to contest the bypoll.

Besides, a section of senior Congress leaders had opposed giving the ticket to Byrathi Suresh.

Rahman Sharief and MLC R V Venkatesh are among the ticket aspirants in the Congress.

Rumours on Sharief’s grandson denied

Meanwhile, JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda on Sunday denied reports in a section of media that Rahman Sharief would join the JD(S) if the Congress refuses to give him the ticket.

“No one has spoken to me in this regard (on Sharief joining the JD-S). It is all rumours,” he told reporters. The JD(U) has empowered local leaders of the party to decide whether to contest the bypolls from the three constituencies – Hebbal, Devad­urga and Bidar.

The party will extend its support to either the JD(S) or the Congress if the local leaders decide not to contest the bypolls. But it has been decided not to join hands with the BJP, State JD(U) president M P Nadagouda said.