Karnataka Polls: Congress tries to douse rebellion after second list

Signs of rebellion emerged in the Congress after the party put out its second list of 42 candidates on Thursday. A few aspirants, who were expecting a ticket, either openly expressed their disappointment with the party leadership or through their supporters who held demonstrations in protest.

In Chitradurga, two-time party MLC Raghu Achar announced he will contest as an independent, accusing the party of ignoring his claims as he came from a small community. Similar threats emerged from other districts including Udupi, Davanagere, Koppal, Dharwad and Belagavi.

In Bengaluru, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar defended the party’s choice of candidates saying that the party has decided the list based on calculations.


He said it was natural for those who did not get the tickets to be disappointed, but he would persuade them. As for those who joined the party from outside expecting a ticket, Shivakumar said the party never promised ticket to anyone while admitting them.

Out of 224 seats, the Congress has so far announced candidates for 166 candidates. It is likely to put out the list after seeing the BJP’s first list.

Sources said some of the Congress ticket aspirants, who did not make the cut, are trying to join either the BJP or the JDS, and contest polls.