Cong cadre protests ceding Tumkur, U-K seats to JD(S)

Congress cadre in Uttara Kannada and Tumkur parliamentary seats have made their displeasure known to the party leadership over the decision to cede the constituencies to the JD(S).

Upset over the Congress high command’s decision to spare the seats to its coalition partner, the DCC office-bearers and the party workers of both the districts staged protests on Friday.

The office-bearers of Tumakuru District Congress Committee and the workers on Friday expressed their solidarity with Congress MP S P Muddahanumegowda, who was denied an opportunity to seek re-election.

The party workers staged a demonstration outside the DCC office

DCC president R Ramakrishna told reporters, “Congress leadership had earlier announced that tickets would be issued to all 10 sitting MPs in the state. Tickets have been issued to nine incumbent MPs but conceded Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency to the JD(S). We will not tolerate this injustice meted out to Muddahanumegowda and the district Congress.”

“Congress party has a solid base in the district. Also, the good work done by the MP in the last five years has further strengthened the party. But the decision (conceding Tumkur seat to JD-S)) has come as a shock. We have urged the party leaders to retain the seat and issue a ticket to Muddahanumegowda,” the DCC president said.

Youth Congress state vice president Rajendra said, “We have no idea why the Congress leaders ceded the seat to its alliance partners in the state. The decision to deny the sitting MP the ticket will send out a wrong message.”

In Sirsi, Uttara Kannada, the office-bearers of the DCC and the party workers from across the district staged a protest in front of the Congress party office here. They expressed their anguish against the decision to concede the seat to the JD(S) by vandalising the furniture of the party office and laid siege to DCC president Bhimanna Naik.

The agitating office-bearers threatened to resign en masse if the leadership fails to field a Congress candidate from Uttara Kannada constituency.

The DCC president tried to pacify the workers saying that the party leaders, legislators, under the leadership of District Minister R V Deshpande, have impressed upon the state leaders to field a party candidate from once-the-Congress bastion Uttara Kannada.

Similar protests were also reported from Vijayapura, which is one of the eight parliamentary seats conceded to the JD(S).