Sira bypoll: Karnataka Congress gives ticket to TB Jayachandra

The Karnataka Congress on Wednesday decided to recommend the candidature of former minister TB Jayachandra for the Sira bypoll.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of JD(S) legislator B Sathyanarayana last month.

The bypoll is yet to be announced. It will be fought under the chairmanship of former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara with former legislator KN Rajanna as the co-chair.

“We held a discussion with leaders from the Tumakuru district. Rajanna proposed Jayachandra’s name, which was backed unanimously by the district leaders. So, we will convey this to the high command,” Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar told reporters.

Jayachandra was a sitting minister when he lost in 2018, which is attributed to the consolidation of Vokkaliga votes against the Congress.

Sira has witnessed a direct fight between the JD(S) and Congress. With Sathyanarayana as its candidate, the JD(S) won Sira twice in the last four elections, in 2004 and 2018, whereas the Congress won in 2008 and 2013 with Jayachandra as its candidate.

The BJP, which has not performed very well in past elections in Sira, is looking to field a surprise candidate to ensure a 3-way contest, which it hopes will split the votes leading to electoral gains.

“Irrespective of whether it will be a triangular or a straight fight, the Congress will fight the election all the same collectively,” Shivakumar said.