R R Nagar candidate will be finalised based on proposal from committee: DKShi

Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar on Saturday said the candidate for the Rajarajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar) by-poll will be decided based on the proposal from a committee constituted under the leadership of senior legislator Ramalinga Reddy.

“…I will not decide (on the candidate). We have constituted a committee under the leadership of Ramalinga
Reddy. They will hold discussions and give a proposal, after which I and our legislature party leader (Siddaramaiah) and senior leaders will discuss and decide,” Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, he said leaders from the block unit, along with the district Congress and Bengaluru
Rural MP D K Suresh (his brother), have held discussions with the committee.

Congress is looking to retain R R Nagar seat that fell vacant following the disqualification of N Munirathna, who was
then the party MLA, under the anti-defection law last year. He is now with the BJP and is looking for a ticket from
the saffron party for the bypolls.

Shivakumar said about seven to eight aspirants are seeking tickets from the R R Nagar seat.

Asked about speculation within party circles that the party would field H Kusuma, the wife of late IAS officer D K
Ravi from R R Nagar, he said some people, including a few senior leaders and a former Minister, had met him recently, proposed to induct her into the party and give a ticket.

“They (Kusuma’s family) were earlier with our party. Her father had subsequently quit the party,..daughter (Kusuma) is a housewife and has gone through pain… Suggestions have come. I have not been able to discuss
this,” he added.

JD(S), which is also keen on the seat, has shortlisted three probables- party city unit chief R Prakash, RR Nagar President Bettaswamy Gowda and a leader from the Jnananbharathi ward Krishnamurthy- as candidates and one of
them will be named soon.

R R Nagar, along with Sira assembly constituency in Tumakuru, will go for the bypolls on November 3. The last date for the filing of nomination is October 16. While Congress has finalised former Minister T B Jayachandra as its candidate from Sira, the BJP and JD(S) are yet to name their candidates.