BENGALURU: With an eye on forthcoming crucial polls to posts of Mayor and deputy Mayor of BBMP, leaders of the ruling Congress are trying to rush through the formalities of nominations to fill three vacancies in the Legislative Council.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar will head to New Delhi on Friday to secure approvals of party president, Sonia Gandhi, vice president, Rahul Gandhi, and general secretary in-charge of the state, Digivijay Singh, to pick three candidates from different walks of life for the upper House over the next two days.
These leaders are likely to get a go-ahead for appointment of party workers to posts of chairpersons of state-owned boards and corporations.
Sources in the party said among the names doing rounds for three seats in the upper House are Baraguru Ramachandra and M. Marulasiddappa (literature), Shashi Kumar, Ramya and Bhavana (film industry), and C.M. Lingappa, P.R. Ramesh and K.P. Nanjundy (social service).
If the ruling party nominates three candidates, preferably those who are residents of Bengaluru, it would help the Congress increase its tally in BBMP as MLCs, MLAs and MPs have voting rights in Mayoral polls.
Besides, the duo would try to get the approval of top leaders for appointment of chairpersons of boards and corporations. Among the 90-odd boards and corporations, only a few are lucrative. Mr Siddaramaiah, according to sources in the party, seems keen to placate MLAs and defeated MLA candidates by appointing them to these boards as such a move would help the party in Assembly elections in 2018.
“Last time, Mr Gandhi reportedly opposed appointment of legislators to these posts. If he agrees this time, then appointments will happen very soon. Otherwise, it may take some more time to sort out the issue,” sources added. About 20 MLAs, 15 defeated MLA candidates, five former ZP presidents and a few district unit presidents are in the race for these posts, sources added.
