Bangalore: Congress to Identify Candidates for 150 Seats by March
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jan 3: Anticipating collapse of the D V Sadananda Gowda-led BJP Government in Karnataka soon, the State Congress is gearing itself to face snap mid-term assembly elections and will complete the process of identifying probable candidates in as many as 150 of the 224 assembly constituencies by the end of March.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dr G Parameshwara, who addressed a news conference in Bangalore on Tuesday, said the AICC observers have already initiated the process of shortlisting the names of the probably candidates.
The present fluid political situation in the State, especially the faction war between the supporters of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and the State BJP President K S Eshwarappa, who incidentally is backing the chief minister Sadananda Gowda, is indicative of the brittleness of the BJP regime in the State. The days of the Sadananda Gowda ministry are numbered and mid-term assembly elections appear to be a distinct possibility, Dr Parameshwara said.
''If you watch current political developments closely, it is evident that elections in 2012 are inevitable," he said and felt the game plans of Yeddyurappa indicated that he is itching for pulling down the Sadananda Gowda ministry if his demands for reinstatement are not heeded.
Dr Parameshwara said AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Madhusudan Mistry, Leaders of Opposition in the Assembly and Council Siddaramaiah and Motamma respectively, besides himself, would tour five districts from January 9.
During the four-day trip, aimed at strengthening the party organisation and preparing for assembly elections, he said they would visit Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts.
In addition, the party has constituted a four-member committee to visit Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat, which was vacated by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda recently consult local leaders and come out with a list of probable candidates within a week for the ensuing bypoll there.
Dr Parameshwara alleged that the Karnataka government had spent only 50 to 60 per cent of the budget allocation, while it should have been 80 per cent by now.
Claiming that the state’s financial system had collapsed, Dr Parameshwara demanded that the Chief Minister should disclosel details of funds spent in the current fiscal year.
He said financial instability had set in due to the failure of tax mobilisation leading to very low spending on the budgetary allocation on power, agriculture, irrigation and primary education which had affected the welfare activities aimed at benefitting the people across the state.
Dr Parameshwara said that the BJP government had allocated Rs.34,000 crore for agriculture, Rs.12,000 crore for primary education, Rs.7,800 crore for irrigation and Rs.8,523 crore for power but not even half of the funds had been spent.
The KPCC President criticised the Chief Minister for not taking measures to shift 337 villages in north Karnataka districts, which faced submergence due to floods and not provided housing to those, who lost their houses.
He charged the Finance Department of not releasing funds for the works or the departments concerned not spent it. The Gross Domestic Product of the state had not crossed 5 per cent.