MLC polls: Cong tries to convince rebels in Udupi to withdraw candidature

Udupi, 9: The Udupi district Congress Committee has continued its effort to convince former K Jayaprakash Hegde and B Bhujanga Shetty, the two Congress leaders who had filed nominations for the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada Local Authorities constituencies to withdraw their candidature in favour of Pratapchandra Shetty, the official candidate of the Congress party.

Addressing presspersons here, Gopal Poojary, president of the Udupi District Congress Committee and Byndoor MLA, said that the party had spoken to Mr. Hegde and urged him to withdraw his candidature. Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara would talk to Mr. Hegde.

The party has deputed Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj to convince Mr. Bhujanga Shetty to withdraw his candidature.

Asked if disciplinary action would be taken against both the leaders should they refuse to withdraw their nominations, Mr. Poojary said: “We will think about that after December 12.”

Mr. Poojary said that the decision to choose Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty was a unanimous one.

A large number of party workers, including Congress legislators from Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, wanted Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty to be re-nominated, despite the latter not being keen on it. All the aspirants had stated that they would seek ticket only if Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty opted out of it. It was only after consulting all leaders and office bearers that Oscar Fernandes, Rajya Sabha MP, had communicated the name of Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty to Mr. Parmeshwara and Mr. Siddaramaiah. After this, the party announced Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty as their candidate.

The party was confident that Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty would win as there were nearly 2,600 Congress-supported members in the local bodies in both the districts, Mr. Poojary said.

Mr. Pratapchandra Shetty, who was at the press meet, said that he had stated that he would not seek renomination as he wanted the second generation of leaders to come up. But both the party and party workers wanted him to contest, and therefore he had bowed to the decision of the party.

He said there was no substance in the allegations made against him that he was inactive. “The Legislative Council records will show how many questions I have asked there. Records will show that I have given money from the Local Area Development Fund to all the gram panchayats in both the districts,” he said.

Congress leaders Vinaykumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, U.R. Sabhapathi, Gopal Bhandary, and M.A. Gafoor, were present.