Shivakumar blames state leaders for missed opportunity in Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagara Palike

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar blamed the state leadership of the party for missing an opportunity to wrest Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagara Palike from BJP after 15 years.

Speaking to media persons at the party office on Sunday, he said the State leaders under various compulsions gave party tickets to wrong candidates, which resulted in at least five winnable Congress ticket aspirants contesting as rebel/ independent candidates; and the defeat of our official candidate. “State level leaders, including me, will take the blame for missed opportunity in Hubballi-Dharwad,” he said.

Congress won 33 of the 82 wards in HDMP, results of which were announced on September 6. He, however, ruled out the impact of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) on the Congress vote share. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led party has won three wards and dented the prospects of Congress candidates in at least eight other seats.

Claiming moral victory, Shivakumar said Congress is satisfied with the results in two of the three municipal corporations that went to polls recently. “We have improved our vote share and seats in HDMP, while in Kalaburagi we are the single largest party and have every possibility of administering it. In Belagavi, we were hopeful of winning 20 seats but ended up with just 10. We will work to improve our number there,” he said.

Misusing power

Blaming the BJP for misusing the State election commission for unscientific delimitation and conduct of elections to three city municipal corporations in a hurry, Shivakumar questioned as to why the State government has not made any efforts to conduct elections for the appointment of chiefs for the 10 urban local bodies (ULBs), including Ballari City corporations that went to polls in April. “Just because Congress won six of these ULBs the BJP government is not holding polls to elect presidents/ mayor. BJP is trying ‘operation kamala’ to manufacture a verdict in their favour in these ULBs,” he alleged.

'Accepting misgovernance'

Shivakumar said changing of four chief ministers in three states in the last few months by the BJP shows that their leaders have failed in giving good governance in the time of pandemic and were indulging in corruption. “By this, the central leadership of BJP has accepted misgovernance by their chief ministers and their lack of trust in these CMs,” he said.

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