Mysuru LS seat: Cong seeks to downplay JDS protests

Mysuru: The Congress in Karnataka Saturday said the Mysore Lok Sabha seat was a prestigious one and there were “some challenges” but it would be sorted out, as it sought to downplay the opposition of some local JDS workers to extend support to the Congress candidate C H Vijayashankar.

At a meeting of JD(S) leaders and workers in Mysuru on Friday, party workers openly opposed supporting the Congress candidate and demanded that Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hold discussions with them, seeking support.

JD(S) workers pointed at Congress not supporting their candidate in Mandya and threatened to support the BJP in Mysore seat in front of minister for higher education G T Deve Gowda.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil is the JDS candidate contesting from Mandya.

Reacting to the development, Siddaramaiah Saturday said the incident was blown out of proportion by the media.

“Some lower rung workers yesterday said at a meeting of G T Deve Gowda that they wont vote for Congress. That became a big news.

Statements of a few individuals are not significant. We clearly tell those working against the party to quit the party and go,” Siddaramaiah said.

He said Mysore Lok Sabha constituency was a prestigious seat and there were “some challenges.”

“But it will be sorted out once we start a joint campaign,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after former JDS leader K Harish Gowda joined the Congress at a function in the party state headquarters.

Congress state chief Dinesh Gundu Rao announced Harish Gowda’s entry into the party and welcomed him along with his core team members.

Harish Gowda had rebelled against the JDS leadership and stood as an independent garnering about 22,000 votes in the 2018 Assembly elections from Chamaraja constituency in Mysuru.

Congress will need JD(S)’ support to win in Mysore Lok Sabha seat as a majority of legislators there are from the regional party, with two of them being Ministers.

BJP has fielded its sitting MP Prathap Simha as its candidate from the constituency.

Congress leaders in Mandya are miffed over the party’sdecision to cede the seat to the JD(S) and have stayed away fromcampaigning, with most even extending support to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, who has reportedly the BJP’s backing.