Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana on Wednesday said he was also an aspirant for the Congress ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Mysuru constituency.
Fielding reporters queries in Mysuru, Mr. Lakshmana, however, said he will extend support to the candidature of former MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah if the party fields him.
“If Mr. Yathindra contests, all of us will spare no efforts to ensure his victory,” he said adding that the party’s Mysuru City and District Congress Committee will wholeheartedly welcome his nomination.
When his attention was drawn to the aspiration of Shushruth Gowda from Mysuru, who participated in the Bharat Jodo yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to contest the Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate, Mr. Lakshmana said he was not aware of him.
He said the Congress will not take a chance with Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency. “It is a very important constituency for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. We have lost twice. We are not in a position to take a chance again,” he said.
Mr. Lakshmana hit out at the incumbent BJP MP Pratap Simha and said his days as the Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency MP are numbered. Contending that Mr. Pratap Simha failed to take up development activities or bring funds for the same, the KPCC spokesperson said the people of the constituency will ensure his rout by two to three lakh votes this time.
Mr. Pratap Simha also drew flak from Mr. Lakshmana for allegedly threatening the officials of dire circumstances if they allowed the celebration of Mahisha Dasara atop Chamundi Hills this year. Mr. Lakshmana sought to remind the MP that there was no room for “rowdyism” in the Congress government, which respected the beliefs of all its citizens.
The KPCC spokesperson also said the proposed alliance between BJP and JD (S) for the coming Lok Sabha elections will not yield the desired results and the Congress’ sway over the voters will continue.
Expressing doubts over the transfer of JD (S) votes to BJP candidates, Mr. Lakshmana said a good portion of votes secured by the regional party in the Assembly elections will be transferred to Congress candidates instead of BJP candidates. The Congress was also poised to capitalise on the anti-incumbency of the BJP government at the Centre, he said while claiming that the party will win anywhere between 22 and 25 seats out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
