Tussle for Congress ticket - Poojary's supporters meet CM
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore/Bangalore (EP)
Mangalore/Bangalore, Jan 24: The battle for the coveted ticket for Mangalore Lok Sabha seat in the Congress party gained further momentum on Thursday January 23, when around 250 supporters of Janardhan Poojary met chief minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar separately, urging them to issue the ticket to the former union minister.
The delegates travelled to Bangalore by private and government buses and reached near Arogya Bhavan on Bangalore’s Magadi road on Thursday morning. They held discussions with minister of health and family welfare U T Khadar there, proceeded with the backing of Dakshina Kannada district incharge minister Ramanath Rai, and met chief minister Siddaramaiah at 3 pm at his office ‘Krishna’ and submitted a memorandum urging him to consider only Janardhan Poojary as the candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"Poojary had struggled hard to make seven Congress candidates win in the last legislative assembly elections. He still works hard for the party despite his age. As there is a Congress wave in the state, Poojary has good chances of winning. Poojary should be given the ticket for the benefit of the party. Congress activists in Dakshina Kannada are determined to get win the seat for the party," said the party leaders and workers.
The group then met KPCC president Dr Parameshwar at the party office at 4.30 pm and submitted a memorandum urging him to recommend Poojary.
Parameshwar assured that the demand will be brought to the notice of the party high command and that the ticket issuing process will be similar to that in the United States of America. “The opinion of about 500 people including MLAs, MPs, former MLAs, former MPs, former mayor, block presidents and others will be gathered by ballots. The high command will then decide on who should get the ticket," he said.
The delegation consisted of MLA Vasanth Bangera, Mohiuddin Bava, Vijaya Kumar Shetty, party leaders Ibrahim Kodichal, Mohammed Masood, Mohammed Badruddin, P V Mohan, Kallige Taranatha Shetty, Shashidhar Hegde, Mahabala Marla, Naveen D’ Souza, Abbas Ali, Hemanatha Shetty, Sanjiva Moily, T K Sudheer, block Congress presidents, zilla panchayat, taluk panchayat and gram panchayat members, presidents and hundreds of party workers.
One of the district Congress leaders later said that the high command has responded positively to their appeal.
A supporter of union minister Veerappa Moily and former president of MUDA, K Thejomaya who had come to meet the chief minister stayed away from the delegation, it is said.
Meanwhile Janardhan Poojary has remained in Delhi lobbying for the ticket.