From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Oct 29: After his success in persuading the former MLA Syed Azeem Peer Khadri to withdraw his nomination papers against Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan from Shiggaon, Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar has managed to placate another disgruntled ticket aspirant Raghunandan Ramnna against Congress party’s C P Yogeshwar from Channapatna.
Raghunandan, the chairman of Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Planning Authority (MICAPA), had worked for Shivakumar’s brother and former MP D K Suresh in the Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru Rural, was a strong contender for the Channapatna ticket from the party, which went in favour of former BJP MLC Yogeshwar after he quit BJP to join Congress.
Both Shivakumar and Suresh prevailed upon Yogeshwar and Raghunandan to patch up their differences and work unitedly to ensure that the Congress party bags the seat against JDS leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s on Nikhil.
After the DKS brothers brokered peace, both Yogeshwar and Raghunandan shook hands and decided to work together.
It may be recalled that Raghunandan was instrumental persuading 14 JDS members from the Channapatna municipality and 2 BJP members and ensure that Suresh got 87,000 votes in the Lok Sabha elecrion against 15,000 earlier.
In the Shiggaon assembly constituency, Congress party had decided o field Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan disregarding the claims of former MLA Syed Azeem Peer Khadri against former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharat from BJP, and a peeved Khadri had filed his nomination papers as an independent. However, after being persuaded by Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Khadri has withdrawn his nomination papers.
The ruling Congress party is determined to wrest all the seats from Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur, which face bypoll on November 13.
Meanwhile, 6 out of the 7 BJP members of Channapatna municipality joined Congress party in the presence of D K Suresh. In the Channapatna municipal council with 31 members, 16 members were elected from JDS out of whom 13 had already joined Congress.