Bengaluru: The Congress meticulously planned and flawlessly executed its plan to ensure the victory of its candidates.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar worked in tandem to ensure that all four Independents voted in favour of the party's candidates. They also ensured that Congress flock remained together.
Shivakumar saw to it that his loyalists were appointed as polling agents for G Janardhana Reddy of Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha and Darshan Puttannaiah of Karnataka Sarvodaya Paksha.
A senior party functionary told DH that the leaders used the allocation of grants to constituencies as bait to keep the party’s flock together.
“The government came to power just nine months ago and most of these MLAs have spent crores of rupees to win or retain their seats. So, nobody is in the mood to face byelections by switching parties. Therefore, despite growing discontent within the ruling Congress, they decided to stay together,” sources said, citing the examples of leaders like B R Patil and Basavaraj Rayareddy, who first raised banners of revolt and became silent after they were appointed as political advisors to the chief minister.
Published 27 February 2024, 22:42 IST