BJP workers oppose KGF ticket to Sampangi, gherao Union minister

BJP workers gheraoed Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment  Thawar Chand Gehlot in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) on Friday and demanded that the party should not field former MLA Y Sampangi or any member of his family from the KGF Assembly constituency in the forthcoming polls.

The KGF (SC Reserve) seat, which was held by Sampangi from 2008-13, is now represented by his mother Y Ramakka.

BJP workers stopped Gehlot's car at Robertsonpet when he was on his way to attend a booth-level meeting. Sampangi and the BJP Kolar district president B P Venkatamuniyappa were with the minister in his car when the incident occurred.

The party workers said that Sampangi was an outsider to the constituency and had migrated from Bengaluru Urban district.

He never visited KGF after he was elected MLA in 2008, they charged. The party should not field Sampangi or any member of his family in the upcoming polls. The ticket should be given to any local leader from KGF, they demanded.

The BJP workers lost their cool when they saw Sampangi in Ghelot's car and raised slogans against the former legislator.

Gehlot got down from the car and tried to pacify the protesters. He said that he would inform the party central leaders about their demand.

"The party leadership will surely discuss the issue of selecting the candidate with local leaders," he assured them.

With the protesters not in a mood to relent, the police rushed to the spot and dispersed them to make way for Gehlot to continue his travel.

A few months after he was elected an MLA, Sampangi was trapped by the Lokayukta police in January 2009 for 'accepting' a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from businessman H M Farooq at the Legislators' Home in Bengaluru.

Subsequently, the Lokayukta police arrestred him and he was remanded in judicial custody. As a result of this, the BJP denied him the ticket for the 2013 Assembly polls and, instead fielded his mother Ramakka, who emerged
victorious.

It is said that now Sampangi is keen to contest the elections on the BJP ticket from KGF.