Sharad faction seeks seven seats where Congress came third in 2013

Amid reported reluctance of the Congress to part with seats for an ally in Karnataka Assembly polls, the Sharad Yadav faction of the JD(U) has sought those constituencies to put up its candidates where the ruling party had slipped to third position in the 2013 polls.

Sources said the Yadav faction has sought seven seats from Congress to contest in the highly-pitched electoral battle where the latter was placed third in the previous polls. However, it expects that the Congress may give at least three seats even if it does not give all the seven demanded.

Yadav had met Congress president Rahul Gandhi recently to place before him the demand of his faction and the choice of constituencies and candidates of his faction. Sources said a detailed document explaining the voting pattern in these constituencies has also been presented to the Congress leadership.

In all these seats, the Congress was third behind the JD(S) and the BJP in the 2013 polls. Even in 2008, they had not won all these seats.

However, if the Congress does not want to give seats, it may allow a couple of Yadav's candidates to contest the election but on the Congress symbol.

The JD(U) rebels have demanded Chitradurga or Basavangudi seat for former MP and ex-Bengaluru Police Commissioner P Kodandaramaiah, who was MP from the Chitradurga Lok Sabha seat while it had sought Sindagi seat for N S Khed, a former MLA and Lingayat leader.

S K Kantha, another Lingayat leader and a former minister, is also in Yadav's list for Gulbarga South seat while he has also asked Navalgund seat for M P Nadagoud, a four-term MLC.

For Kolar, which he said the Congress has won only once in last 25 years, Yadav has suggested the name of G V Ramachadraiah, a Kuruba community member running educaitonal institutions.

Bommanahalli (GKC Reddy), Arabhavi (Aravind Dalwai) and Raybag (Thyagraj Kadam) are among other seats sought by the Yadav faction.