Throwing a surprise, the Congress on Monday picked M. Nagaraju Yadav, KPCC spokesperson, and K. Abdul Jabbar, former MLC, as its candidates for the biennial elections to the Legislative Council from the Legislative Assembly constituency in the State, ignoring claims of many seniors in the party.
Mr. Nagaraju, a former chairman of BMTC during the Congress tenure, is said to be a KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar’s loyalist. Mr. Jabbar, currently chairman of KPCC Minority Cell, served as the MLC earlier, and is close to both Mr. Shivakumar and the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Siddaramaiah. Incidentally, Muslim leaders, including legislators, had petitioned the Congress, seeking Mr. Jabbar’s candidature in the Council election.
The move is seen as an attempt to woo the dominant OBCs and Muslim community ahead of BBMP and next year’s Assembly elections. as Mr. Nagaraju belongs to the Golla community.
