Yogeshwar joins Congress; Kumar Bangarappa threatens revolt over Shimoga seat
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Mar 18: First, it was the turn of octogenarian, former Union Railway Minister C K Jaffer Sharief, to revolt against the Congress party’s decision to allot the Bangalore North Lok Sabha ticket to Youth Congress leader Rizwan Arshad overlooking his claims and hobnob with the JD(S) and even take a decision on his political future after his return from Mecca pilgrimage.
Now, yet another junior Congress leader Kumar Bangarappa, a former minister in the S M Krishna regime, has threatened to contest as a rebel candidate from the Shimoga constituency at being denied the party ticket in favour of Manjunath Bhandary.
Kumar Bangarappa, who had won from the Soraba assembly constituency, held by his own father late S Bangarappa, against his own younger brother Madhu Bangarappa from KJP, and in the last assembly election lost to Madhu Bangarappa, who had since switched over to JD(S), is peeved that coastal Dakshina Kannada man, Manjunath Bhandary, has been preferred over his claims.
The opposition BJP, which had bagged the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat in 2009 elections when former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s son, B Y Raghavendra, was chosen as the party candidate, has now fielded Yeddyurappa himself in a bid to retain the seat.
In a bid to encash on the sympathy of the voters in favour of the Idiga community stalwart Bangarappa, who still holds sway in the constituency, has pitted Bangarappa’s daughter Geetha Shivarajkumar, who is married to Kannada thespian Dr Raj Kumar’s son Shivarajkumar, at the instance of Madhu Bangarappa.
Kumar Bangarappa, who called on Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara and former External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Tuesday, said the party high command overlooked his candidature and given the ticket to Manjunath Bhandary, a rank outsider to the malnad district.
Referring to the JD(S) decision to field his sister, Geetha Shivarajkumar and daughter-in-law of the matinee idol late Dr Raj Kumar, the Congress leader alleged that ''the JD(S) leaders are known for breaking the families.”
“I will wait for a few more days and take appropriate decision before March 26, the last date for filing nomination to contest the elections,” Kumar Bangarappa told reporters.
Incidentally, Kumar Bangarappa, spoke to reporters at the KPCC office itself, after meeting KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar.
Kumar Bangarappa said he would hold another round of meeting with his supporters and take the decision soon.
He said: ''majority of the rank and file of the party in the district had endorsed my candidature.”
Earlier in the day, Kumar Bangarappa led a delegation of party leaders from Shimoga district and met Krishna at the latter’s residence and appraised him about the situation in the constituency.
Shimoga District in-charge Minister Kimmane Rathnakar was also present on the occasion.
Turncoats: Yogeshwar kicks SP, Lakshminarayana KJP
Meanwhile, Yogeshwar, who started his political innings from the Congress party, quit the party in 2008 and joined the BJP after B S Yeddyurappa became the chief minister, rejoined Congress on Tuesday.
He was one of the early victims of BJP’s widely criticised "Operation Kamala,"
Yogeshwar contested on the BJP’s lotus symbol and got elected. He was rewarded with a cabinet ministerial berth.
However, he quit the BJP on the eve of the 2013 Assembly polls in the State and joined SP and got elected from the Channapatna assembly constituency in the Assembly elections.
Dr Parameshwara said with the return of Yogeshwar, sandalwood actor, the party’s position would be strengthened in Bangalore Rural, Ramanagaram, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore and Tumkur districts.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he suggested Yogeshwar to join the Congress during the last Assembly elections but the latter declined the offer.
The return of the MLA would help the Congress to regain its strength in the Ramangaram and Bangalore rural districts, the Chief Minister said.
Energy Minister D K Shivakumar also welcomed Yogeshwar to the party and said his return would help the Bangalore Rural constituency candidate and his brother D K Suresh to improve the electoral performance in the next month’s elections.
Also, former MLC and staunch supporter of Yeddyurappa, M D Laxminarayan, who is spearheading the cause of the disappointed followers of former BJP chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, is all set to join the Congress on Wednesday.
Lakshminarayana, who quit BJP to join KJP, follows the lone Samajwadi Party MLA from Channapatna, who joined the Congress on Tuesday.
KPCC President Dr Parameshwara said Lakshminarayana and his supporters will be joining on Wednesday while many others from different political parties would be joining the party in the next few days.
Lakshminarayana and other followers of Yeddyurappa, who are upset with their leader as well as the BJP had not given proper political accommodation, have taken a decision to join the Congress.
Joining of Lakshminarayana, who is also State president of the federation of weavers’ community, which accounts for a sizeable population, would help the Congress to get support from the weavers in various constituencies, the Congress leader said.