The Congress screening committee met in New Delhi on Monday to begin deliberations on which candidates should be allotted tickets for the upcoming elections.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dr G Parameshwara, Karnataka election in-charge KC Venugopal, CM Siddaramaiah and veteran Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry, who are part of the committee will meet for the second time on Tuesday to finalise the first list of candidates.
Sources from the Congress said that the candidates for Belagavi and Mysuru districts were finalised on Monday. “The list of candidates for Gulbarga and Bengaluru will be discussed and finalised today (Tuesday). Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will return to Bengaluru from Delhi tonight and the final list will be announced on April 13,” the source added.
According to Congress sources, incumbent Mandya MLA Ambareesh, Badami MLA BB Chimmannakatti, Hanagal MLA Manohar Tahasildar and Davangere South MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa may not get tickets this time.
“These four MLAs are unlikely to get tickets because their health is failing. In the selection committee meeting it was decided that around 10 sitting MLAs will not get tickets,” the source added.
The source also said that KC Venugopal had written to Ambareesh asking him whether he wishes to contest elections. He had been given time till April 8 to respond, but Venugopal has heard back from him yet.
A senior leader in the Congress added that Gulbarga South MLA G Radhakrishna, Kittur MLA DB Inamdar, Ranebennur MLA and the current Speaker of the Vidhana Sabha, KB Koliwad, Mayakonda MLA Shivamurthy Naik and Hoovinahadagali MLA PT Parameshwara Naik are also unlikely to get tickets.
“KB Koliwad has asked a ticket for his son Prakash Koliwad. Parameshwar Naik has lost importance in the area after former police officer Anupama Shenoy went to the media saying she has incriminating evidence against him. The other leaders have not got favourable results in the internal surveys,” the Congress source said.