Former minister Santosh Lad of the Congress on Friday opined that Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar should not contest in Assembly elections from any constituency, but should tour the state focusing on bringing the party to power.
"This is my personal opinion. Leaders like Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar should not be restricted to a particular taluk or district. Siddaramaiah would win if he contests anywhere, but he should not do so. He should tour the entire state, and I request the high-command to give full freedom to leaders like Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to travel the entire State," he said.
Both age factor and summer season should be considered, and the party would be benefited a lot if leaders like Siddaramaiah focus on touring the state, he noted.
In the wake of former MLC and Kalghatagi ticket aspirant Nagaraj Chabbi's supporters distributing pressure cookers at some villages in Kalghatagi constituency and Chabbi's remarks about Siddaramaiah's 'assurance' to him about the ticket, Lad, who is also seeking Congress ticket from Kalghatagi, stated that it is high time the party's high-command look into the matter.
"Siddaramaiah has clarified that it was Chabbi who told him that I would go to Ballari, and he (Chabbi) would contest from Kalghatagi. Siddaramaiah did not give that message to him. I am honestly working in the constituency since 2008, whether I have won or not. Chabbi did not contest from there, and he did not brought much development to the constituency as an MLC also," Lad said.
I did not assured Chabbi in the previous elections that I would leave him the ticket next time. The high-command should understand the issue in the wake of his claims, or the party may experience inconvenience, former Kalghatagi MLA added.
"I will be with the Congress whether I get the ticket or not. I will not join the BJP, and I am not in contact with BJP leaders," Lad clarified.
Published 18 November 2022, 13:36 IST