Ballari: While disqualified legislator B S Anand Singh, who joined 16 other MLAs to bring down the last Kumaraswamy government, has not yet resigned from the Congress, he is clearly hobnobbing with the BJP, which has reportedly promised to field him from his former constituency of Hosapete when bypolls are held to it..
The saffron party has also reportedly offered to make him Ballari district- in- charge minister once his plea in the Supreme Court against his disqualification is disposed of.
But it may not be all smooth sailing for Mr Singh even if the court rules in his favour, as the local Bharatiya Janata Party workers of Hospete are said to be dead against the party fielding him or his son, Sidharth Singh from the constituency in the by-poll.
He has competition too as the Bharatiya Janata Party's defeated candidate in the previous poll, HR Gaviyappa, its state women wing's vice president, Rani Samyukta and another leader, Kishore Pattikonda are also eyeing the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket from Hospete.
The Congress, meanwhile, is determined to retain the constituency at any cost and is searching for a strong candidate to take on Mr Singh should he be fielded by the BJP.
While former minister, Santosh Lad's name is doing the rounds, he too is facing opposition from the local Congressmen in Hospete, who reportedly see him as an "outsider" and feel that he did not do enough to retain Mr Singh in the party although he was instrumental in bringing him into it.
Others in the race for the Congress ticket include former legislator, Siraj Sheikh, and senior leader, Abdul Wahab and his son, Shadab Wahab.
The Janata Dal (Secular), which has also decided to contest the by-poll , has several hopefuls too including party leader, Dipak Singh and former Kudligi legislator, MN Nabi, say sources.
