MLC Naseer Ahmed consents to contest elections from Kolar

Chance to oust Varthur, says Minister Muniyappa

Congress leaders in the district heaved a sigh of relief of Wednesday, following a word of consent from Naseer Ahmed, Member of Legislative Council, to contest the Assembly elections.

The MLC gave his consent in the presence of Union Minister K H Muniyappa during a rural block leaders meeting of the Congress at Kabah Plaza. “I have three more years to go as an MLC, therefore, resigning merely to contest the upcoming elections did not seem agreeable to me, earlier. But, many of the party leaders told me, my contesting the elections will mean a victory for the Congress in Kolar constituency. I therefore decided to bow to their request and will contest the elections,” he explained.

Confidence

“The presence of Minister Muniyappa, who won the Parliament elections for the sixth time in 2009, has given me a lot of confidence,” he added.

Muniyappa, who addressed the gathering, said it was necessary to oust Varthur Prakash, currently District In-charge Minister, from Kolar. “We need to field a very strong candidate, if we should be able to achieve this. The party has therefore chosen Naseer Ahmed, with complete confidence in his ability to win on behalf of the party here,” he added.

Criticising the work of the BJP government in meeting the requirements of the citizens of Kolar, Muniyappa said, “The district continues to struggle for want of water supply. No major drinking water or irrigation project has been implemented so far. The Congress is all set to make the most of the failure of the BJP government to do anything in this direction.”

Withdrawal

Former Minister Nisar Ahmed, who had been in the queue for the Kolar ticket from the Congress, said he would support the chosen candidate. “I have no objection to the selection of Naseer Ahmed, I support him completely, without any ill-feeling,” he added.

Former Speaker of the Assembly K R Ramesh Kumar, Rural Block Congress President Sriram, Congress District Committee President M L Anil Kumar, and others were present on the occasion.