Digvijay Singh wants Siddaramaiah, Dr G to finalise list for poll

Bengaluru: Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has directed party leaders in the state to come with a final list of candidates for the forthcoming elections to 25 MLC seats in December.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior Congress leader disclosed that Mr Singh wanted CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwar to first finalise the list of candidates, which would eventually be ratified in Delhi. “There is no confusion over contesting 13 seats represented by party leaders in the Upper House.

So the party needs to decide on the candidate selection for seven seats. The party has almost finalized its decision to contest 20 of the 25 seats,” the source added. Apart from this, several leaders in the state have reportedly opposed the idea of having an alliance with the JD(S).

“For instance, in Tumakuru, law and parliamentary affairs minister, T. B. Jaychandra, Energy minister, D. K. Shivakumar and animal husbandry minister, A. Manju reportedly opposed the idea of having an alliance with Janata Dal (S) during discussions with Mr Singh in separate meetings on Sunday night. The party had an understanding with the Janata Dal (S) during the 2009 elections and did not field candidates in five seats — Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru and Bengaluru Rural,” the source added.

Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.