The D K Shivakumar-led Congress on Saturday zeroed in on the party’s working president Satish Jarkiholi as the candidate for the Belgaum Lok Sabha bypolls.
“We have recommended only one name to the high command,” Shivakumar told reporters, alluding to Satish.
This was discussed at a senior leaders’ meeting where the party planned its strategy for the upcoming bypolls and handed out responsibilities.
Satish is currently the MLA of Yamkanmaradi and he is the brother of BJP’s Ramesh Jarkiholi, who had to resign from Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s Cabinet in the wake of a sex scandal.
Satish’s pick for the Belgaum bypolls ticket is his attempt to show that the scandal had not affected the Jarkiholi family’s clout over the Belagavi district.
Asked about why Satish was picked, Shivakumar said, “The party's decision is based on who is best suited to contest.”
The Congress has already announced tickets to Maski and Basavakalyan. In Maski, the party has fielded BJP’s 2018 defeated candidate Basanagouda Turvihal. For Basavakalyan, the party has fielded Mallamma, the wife of incumbent MLA B Narayan Rao, who died in September last year due to Covid-19.
“Everyone in the party is excited and we’re confident of winning all three seats,” Shivakumar said. “We have faith in voters. They have decided that they need a change in the state,” he added.
According to sources, the state unit's working presidents Eshwar Khandre and R Dhruvanarayana have been assigned Basavakalyan and Maski, respectively. Former minister MB Patil will oversee the party's election campaign for the Belgaum seat.
Wary of the spike in Covid-19 cases, Shivakumar said it was decided to limit the number of public meetings for the bypolls. “There’s confusion, thanks to the (BJP) government. So, we will wait for clarity on holding open-air events,” he said.
(Published 20 March 2021, 15:14 IST)
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