Rebellion brews in Congress over allotment of party tickets for polls

The prospect of a rebellion loomed large over the Congress party Karnataka in the wake of the release of first list of candidates for 84 assembly constituencies scheduled to go polls in the first phase of assembly polls next month.

Former Federal Minister C K Jaffer Sharief, who returned to Bangalore from New Delhi on Sunday, convened a meeting of his supporters at a resort on the outskirts of the City after the party leadership denied a ticket to his grandson Rahman Sharief from a constituency in Bangalore.

Reacting to Congress leadership’s decision against providing party tickets to the kin of senior Congress leaders, Sharief said the party should follow the same yardstick across the country.

Sharief, who has been named as the Chairman of the Congress party’s manifesto committee for the ensuing assembly polls in Karnataka, has expressed deep sense of hurt and dissatisfaction over the party’s decision to deny his grandson a party ticket.

Sharief, who has convened a meeting of his followers, is understood to be under tremendous pressure to quit the Congress and join other parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or the JD (S).

Similiarly, hundreds of Congress workers went on a rampage in Turuvekere in Tumkur district, stoning vehicles and setting fire to party flags in protest against the denial of ticket to cine star Jaggesh.

Jaggesh, who lost the 2004 polls as a Congress candidate, was hopeful of winning the polls during the ensuing polls. In the wake of the Congress party’s decision to deny him a ticket, Jaggesh threatened to resign from the party and contest as an independent.

Similiarly, former Federal Minister Ambareesh, who is also upset over the selection of candidates, has threatened to enter the fray from Srirangapatna assembly constituency though the Congress has already named Ravindra Srikantaiah as its official nominee.

Meanwhile, trouble is also brewing for the Congress in S M Krishna’s native Mandya district, where several unsuccessful aspirants have threatened to quit the party and join hands with the BJP

Former MLAs L R Shivarame Gowda, M S Athmananda, Kempe Gowda and Prakash, besides Madhu Made Gowda, all of whom were denied Congress tickets, met in a hotel in Bangalore and decided to explore possibilities of joining hands with the BJP.

BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said the party leadership will discuss the matter as the BJP does not have good candidates to field in Mandya district.