BENGALURU: As the race for a ticket of the ruling Congress for next month’s bypoll to Hebbal Assembly constituency turned into a no-holds-barred battle between various groups within the ruling party, former minister H M Revanna reached out to party leader in Lok Sabha, M Mallikarjun Kharge, to scupper the chances of fellow Kuruba aspirant Byrathi Suresh, a member of the upper House, known for his proximity to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Mr Revanna, who vehemently opposed Mr Suresh’s candidature on grounds that he was an outsider, reportedly played the ‘frenemy’ card to the hilt while seeking Mr Kharge’s support. He reminded the veteran leader that it was Mr Suresh’s entry into the fray as an independent which queered the pitch for Mr Kharge’s supporter Mr Iqbal Ahmed Saradagi in the Legislative Council elections in June 2012.
Mr Kharge has not backed anyone so far and is expected to play his cards in New Delhi as all the contenders have been summoned before a screening committee in the city on Wednesday.
