MLC polls: Is Karnataka Congress staring at another dissent?

Bengaluru, Sep 21: The Karnataka Legislative Council will go for polls on October 4 to fill three vacant seats. The coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have decided to field two and one candidates respectively.

A member needs 112 votes to get elected in the election to be held from the Legislative Assembly constituency. With a combined strength of 118 in the Assembly, Congress and JD(S) are well set to clinch the seats in the face of the fact that BJP has just 104 members in the House.

Backed by Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Nivedith Alva and MC Venugopal have emerged as the frontrunners for the two MLC seats from the Congress quota. Alva, the son of Congress veteran Margaret Alva represents minority and Venugopal belongs to the backward class category.

A source in the Congress party, however, denied the finalization of the names of the candidates till party president Rahul Gandhi takes a call.

"Parameshwara gets upper-hand in the election process if these two emerge as candidates form the party. This move may send the wrong message to Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar and KPCC President Dinesh Gundurao," said the source.

According to reports, Gundurao is said to be backing B Guruppa Naidu, who unsuccessfully contested the assembly polls in 2008. Former minister Ramalinga Reddy is lobbying for businessman UB Venkatesh, a Brahmin, who helped his daughter Sowmya Reddy get elected from Jayanagar assembly constituency.

The party high command has to take a judicious call to avoid a new round of dissent in the party. The Congress is already battling crises one after another. The tussle between Jarakiholi brothers and MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar in Belagavi district has been tamed as of now. On the other hand, Vokkaliga strongman DK Shivakumar may get arrested by the ED in the money laundering case. Besides, the BJP is looking to destabilize the coalition government ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

No preference for Vokkaliga candidates:

Also, it is being conveyed that the Congress party is not interested in fielding a candidate from Vokkaliga community in the MLC election. The party believes that the current dispensation carries the image of 'Vokkaliga government image'. Hence, doesn't want to prefer Vokkaliga face keeping in mind 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Source said, " The high-command has sent a clear message that it is not possible to accommodate Vokkaliga this time because the Congress-JDS coalition has Vokkaliga government image."