Rebellion brews over tickets for council elections

BENGALURU: Dissent is brewing in the three major parties over selection of candidates for election to 25 council seats from local authorities constituencies on December 27. Facing the threat of aspirants contesting the election as independents, the Congress, the BJP and the JD(S) are yet to finalize candidates for some seats even though Wednesday is the last day for filing nomination papers.
The Congress is facing a major challenge in Kolar: local MP KH Muniyappa is pushing the candidature of district party president and MSIL chairman Anil Kumar and M Veerappa Moily , MP from adjoining Chikballapur, is seeking ticket for progressive farmer Yellavali N Ramesh, even as chief minister Siddaramaiah is said to be interested in nominating former MP RL Jalappa's grandson Nagaraj.
To arrive at a consensus, Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting of Muniyappa, Moily and KPCC president G Parameshwara. Party sources do not rule out the possibility of former minister V Muniyappa emerging as a consensus candidate.
In the Dakshina Kannada-Udupi constituency , former Congress MP K Jayaprakash Hegde has filed his nomination as an independent after the party gave tick et to Pratapchandra Shetty .Hegde is apparently angry with senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes for allegedly denying him ticket.
In Bengaluru Urban constituency , the Congress is facing rebellion from Dayanand Reddy who has accused transport minister Ramalinga Reddy of hatching a conspiracy to deny him ticket. He is likely to to enter the fray as an independent.The party has selected M Narayanaswamy as the candidate from Bengaluru urban.
Similarly , the BJP is also facing dissent from aspirants. Former union minister Basanagouda Patil Yetnal, who rejoined the party after the quitting JD(S) last year, has filed his nomina tion from Bagalkot as an independent. The party has nominated GS Nyame Gow da as its candidate. “I was hopeful of the ticket but they did not consider me. I am still hopeful that the party would change its mind.Else, I will contest as an independent,'' Yetnal said.
For the JD(S), the situa tion is only turning worse.Dissent has intensified after the party announced its first list of 12 candidates. It, however, promptly made a couple of changes after its sitting MLC M R Hulinayakar joined the BJP.