Even as the Congress is readying its list of candidates for the Karnataka assembly elections, rebellion within the party seems to be touching an all time high. There is a Tughlaq rule in the Congress and Siddaramaiah is Tughlaq, senior leader P Ramesh said.
He told reporters that he would contest the election from the C V Raman Nagar constituency as a JD(S) candidate. I have been nursing the constituency and was hopeful of getting a ticket. This is not Indira Gandhi's Congress. There is a Tughlaq rule and Siddaramaiah himself is Tughlaq. He will be responsible for the Congress' defeat," Ramesh said.
Ramesh had unsuccessfully contested from the C V Raman Nagar constituency. He said that he was asked to make way for H C Mahadevappa by Siddaramaiah. He also added that he had done a lot for the constituency, including getting over 16,000 people jobs. People are sitting in air conditioned chambers and taking decisions. The situation is such today that even Rahul Gandhi has to listen to Siddaramaiah, he further said as his eyes were filled with tears.
In another development, the JD(S) has been trying to rope in B Prasanna Kumar another disgruntled Congress leader. The move came in the wake of the Congress trying to field Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy from the Pulakeshinagar constituency.
In another incident of rebellion, scores of workers staged a protest outside the Congress office. They said that the party had finalised the Padmanabhanagar ticket for M Srinivas. While terming Srinivas as a BJP agent they demanded that B Gurappa Naidu be given a ticket.
| Karnataka Assembly Election dates | |||
| Date of notification | April 17 | ||
| Last date to file nominations | April 24 | ||
| Last date to withdraw nominations | April 27 | ||
| Date of polling | May 12 | ||
| Date of counting | May 15 | ||
