Cong top brass tells Mahadevappa to retain T Narasipur

The Congress high command is understood to have asked Public Works Department (PWD) Minister H C Mahadevappa to contest the May 12 polls from
T Narasipur, instead of fielding his son, Sunil Bose.

Sources in the party said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah conveyed the party's decision to Mahadevappa, who met the former at his home office 'Krishna' on Thursday. Mahadevappa was seeking a ticket from Nanjangud, so as to launch his son from T Narasipur.

Siddaramaiah wants Kalale Keshavamurthy, who is the sitting party MLA from Nanjangud, to recontest. Kalale had won the keenly fought bypolls of 2017, giving a much-needed morale booster to the ruling party. The sources said Mahadevappa had even threatened not to contest the elections if he was denied the ticket from Nanjangud. He had earlier planned to contest from
C V Raman Nagar in Bengaluru, but he later dropped the idea as he was not confident of the victory.

CM's Badami plan

Meanwhile, a delegation of Congress leaders from Bagalkot district led by sitting MLA from Badami B B Chimmanakatti met Siddaramaiah and urged him to contest from the constituency. The development has come in the wake of the chief minister expressing his desire to contest from two seats - Chamundeshwari and Badami.

Siddaramaiah is said to have developed cold feet on contesting from Chamundeshwari, which he used to represent in the past. He has decided to field his son Dr Yathindra from Varuna, which he currently represents.

The chief minister and KPCC president G Parameshwara left for New Delhi later in the evening to attend a meeting of AICC Central Election Committee on Friday to finalise the party candidates.