Loyalists of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are said to have expressed displeasure on the functioning of KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar and alleged that Mr. Shivakumar and his loyalists “hatched a conspiracy” to deny ticket to two-time MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy from Pulikeshinagar constituency in the city.
In a video widely shared on social media, former MLA Ashok Pattan is seen telling Mr. Siddaramaiah that loyalists of the KPCC president had “hatched a conspiracy” to deny ticket to Mr. Murthy in the 2023 Assembly elections. Mr. Siddaramaiah is heard saying him, “Let them do… He is a sitting member. Ticket will be denied to him only if there are indications of his defeat. Ultimately what is the outcome?”
Before holding a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Pattan is said to have told Mr .Siddaramaiah that former Bengaluru Mayor R. Sampath Raj of the party and Mr. Shivakumar have been making efforts to deny ticket to Mr. Murthy.
Speaking to a TV channel, Mr. Murthy said Mr. Shivakumar encouraged groupism in the constituency and hatching a plan to deny him ticket in the 2023 elections. He said party workers in the constituency met Mr. Siddaramaiah and informed him about the developments in the constituency.Mr. Murthy’s house was set on fire by some miscreants in 2020.
