Bengaluru: Mandya Congress netas keep off CM's rallies, party bosses upset
Bengaluru: If the absence of Congress leaders from the election campaign by CM H.D. Kumaraswamy for two days is any indication, the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate L.R. Shivaramegowda will have to fend for himself in the bypoll to the Mandya Lok Sabha seat scheduled for November 3.
On Saturday too, Congress leaders were conspicious by their absence from the election rallies addressed by the CM. This attitude of Congress leaders has clearly sent a message that they do not care for the diktat of the high command when it comes to their future.
By absenting themselves, the Mandya Congress leaders have thrown a challenge to the state and central leaders that they will not be cowed down by threats of disciplinary action. From the beginning, Mandya district leaders have shown their dissent against the high command for giving up the Mandya seat to their arch rival JD(S) in the Vokkaliga dominated district. The non-cooperation by Congress leaders that started on Friday continued on Saturday for the second day even as the CM wound up his two-day electioneering in a district considered a strong bastion of the JD(S). This has certainly embarrassed the Congress leadership which had promised its full support to the JD(S) candidates in Mandya, Shivamogga and Ramanagara. This has also posed a big question mark on the continuity of the JD(S)-Congress alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It has once again proved that the efforts made by former CM Siddaramaiah to bring all Congressmen on board to jointly work for the victory of Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) candidates in the Mandya LS byelection, have failed.
Two days ago, Mr Siddaramaiah who is also the CLP leader, had held a secret meeting with local Congressmen and appealed to them to work with the JD(S) for the victory of JD(S) candidate L.R. Shivaramegowda. Though, many of them had then agreed, a few leaders had already decided to be out of their constituencies till the elections are over.
So when Mr Kumaraswamy arrived in Malavalli, Mandya, KR Pete, Pandavapura, Maddur and Srirangapatna, there was no sign of local Congress leaders in any of the constituencies. Only two leaders not connected with the constituency or district-Tumakuru MP Muddahanumegowda and Shildlaghatta Congress MLA v Muniyappa were present in Malavalli while another leader, Mr M.S. Atmananda was present in the Mandya rally.
The meetings looked like a typical JD(S) rally because of the confluence of all JD(S) MLAs and MLCs at the function.
