Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Mar 21: Wary of making the Christian community unhappy, the Congress high command has requested former MP, H T Sangliana, to New Delhi, in an apparent bid to retain the former cop, who has dropped broad hints of fighting the coming Lok Sabha election from Bangalore Central constituency as a JD(S) candidate.
The party, it is said, is worried that it might lose the goodwill of Christian community, which is believed to have stood solidly behind it all these years, because of denying tickets to two Christian candidates, Nivedit Alva, son of former union minister, Margaret Alva, from Karwar, and Sangliana, from Bangalore Central.
Sangliana is travelling to New Delhi today to meet All India Congress Committee vice president, Rahul Gandhi. The famous former police officer with an impeccable record, who had got elected from the BJP from Bangalore North constituency once, but parted ways with the party during the fag end of his term, had contested the last election from the Congress, but had to taste defeat. Angered by the reluctance of the party leaders to allot him a ticket, he had expressed his intention to contest this election from JD(S). It is learnt that for the first time in the last 31 years, none of the Christian candidates have been allotted Lok Sabha tickets in the state.
The Congress think tank is believed to be worried at the prospect of the division of Christian votes in case Sangliana fights as a JD(S) candidate. Rahul, it is believed, might ask Sangliana to continue in the party, duly doling out promise of some important post if he gives up his claim on Lok Sabha ticket.