The Karnataka Congress is all set to announce its candidate list before April 15, and several corporators in Bengaluru are trying hard to win tickets.
Party insiders say that Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj too has submitted an application to contest from CV Raman Nagar constituency.
“There are about eight Congress corporators who have applied for a ticket and out of them, only former Mayor G Padmavati and the current Mayor Sampath Raj are likely to be given tickets,” a Congress functionary said.
Speaking to TNM, Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj said that he applied for the Pulakeshinagar constituency as well as the CV Raman Nagar constituency.
“I applied for Pulakeshinagar because it is my constituency but I also applied for CV Raman Nagar. It is up to the party to decide. Whatever decision the party takes, I will stand by it. Even if I do not get a ticket, I will continue my work as the Mayor. I was elected in a time of crisis. The rains had been causing so many problems. In the six months of my service as Mayor, I have been able to turn things around in terms of fixing most of the potholes and ensuring there are no water problems,” Sampath Raj said.
Sources say that Sampath Raj was vying for the Pulakeshinagar constituency but since the party has strongman Roshan Baig as the prime contender there, the Mayor was asked to look at CV Raman Nagar instead.
“There was talk that HC Mahadevappa (Minister for Public Works) would contest from CV Raman Nagar. However, both he and his son Sunil Bose have applied for the same constituency – T Narasipura. It is the high command who will ultimately take the decision but it is very likely that Sampath Raj will be given a ticket to contest from CV Raman Nagar,” the functionary added.
Congress insiders say that the state intelligence survey on sitting MLAs had shown that Dr HC Mahadevappa would lose if he contested from T Narasipura or CV Raman Nagar.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, is said to be keen on fielding Mahadevappa from CV Raman Nagar.
However, Congress sources say that Mahadevappa has been offered Nanjangud as his second option. However, the party is uncertain about replacing the current Nanjangud MLA Kalale Keshavamurthy as he has strong grassroots support.
“The high command will have to look into all applications and their winnability quotient. The current BJP MLA from CV Raman Nagar, S Raghu, has been elected three times continuously. The party also needs a strong face to field against Raghu, and Sampath Raj is very likable,” the Congress functionary added.
Party sources say that the Congress candidate P Ramesh, who was fielded from the constituency in 2013, disappointed the constituents by not performing the ground-level work required to gather support.
“P Ramesh has his followers. Apart from them, he has not done much in terms of endearing himself to the voters. He will never win if we field him, and the party is not willing to take that risk. Besides, he also openly condemned the party in the media and threatened to quit and contest as an independent, so the high command will not give him a ticket,” the source added.
In January, when Siddaramaiah began to field Mahadevappa, Ramesh told the media that he would not allow “Siddaramaiah’s Man Friday – Mahadevappa” to contest from CV Raman Nagar.
“I have been promised nomination to the Legislative Council, but I don't want it. The coming poll battle will see Raghu versus Ramesh. People want me to contest as an independent,” Ramesh then said.