M Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani has emerged because the front-runner for Congress ticket to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections within the residence turf of the social gathering’s President.
The 81-year-old Kharge had gained from Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Lok Sabha section twice however misplaced the 2019 polls.
“The Chief of Opposition in Rajya Sabha’s arms are full. Along with managing social gathering affairs on the nationwide degree, he has to coordinate with INDIA bloc companions”, a senior social gathering chief mentioned.
“Additionally, he has 4 extra years of his time period left in Rajya Sabha”, he mentioned, in search of to substantiate studies that Kharge will not be in favour of contesting from Kalaburagi.
His son, Priyank Kharge, who represents Chittapur meeting constituency in Gulbarga section and is a Minister within the Siddaramaiah cupboard in Karnataka, can be not to throw his hat within the ring.
“Doddamani, a businessman who additionally manages instructional establishments, appears to be the entrance runner”, a celebration chief mentioned..
Social gathering sources mentioned the Congress President will take a remaining name on whether or not or to not contest the polls in session with prime leaders together with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Kharge may have the ultimate phrase on whether or not it’s Doddamani or anybody else who can be the candidate from Gulbarga, as it’s his residence turf, the sources mentioned.
Doddamani, who was initially reluctant to enter the fray, has been requested to be ready to be fielded.
Born in Kalaburagi, Doddamani has maintained a low profile; he has all the time labored actively behind the scenes in managing and strategising for Kharge’s successive electoral marketing campaign. He’s mentioned to be in style amongst social gathering staff and supporters, particularly within the Gurmitkal Meeting section, which Kharge represented consecutively between 1972 and 2004.
Congress’ ballot managers in Kalaburagi throughout a current assembly with social gathering legislators and leaders from the section are mentioned to have mentioned Doddamani’s possible candidacy, and about making certain his victory.
Kharge was defeated by BJP’s Umesh Jadhav by 95,452 votes within the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Popularly often known as “Solillada Saradara”, (a pacesetter with out defeat), that was the primary electoral loss in Kharge’s political life spanning a number of a long time.
Forward of the polls, Jadhav had give up as Congress MLA and joined the BJP to contest the Lok Sabha election from Gulbarga.
The 2019 election was thought-about a troublesome one for Kharge, a nine-time MLA and two-term Lok Sabha member, as a number of senior leaders of Congress like Baburao Chinchansur, A B Malaka Reddy and Malikayya Guttedar, from the area had give up the social gathering and joined BJP.
These leaders together with Jadhav, who had give up the Congress upset over the “dominance” of Kharge and his son Priyank Kharge (who was then Minister within the Congress-JD(S) coalition authorities) within the area, discovered a standard floor and aggressively campaigned towards the father-son duo.
Kharge, who was earlier chief of the Congress social gathering in Lok Sabha, had served as Union Cupboard Minister- Labour and Employment, additionally Railways and Social Justice and Empowerment within the Manmohan Singh-led UPA authorities.
He had additionally held numerous portfolios in successive Congress governments that ruled the state and was additionally president of Karnataka Congress and chief of opposition within the state meeting.
Gulbarga for lengthy had been a bastion of the Congress. Earlier than 2019, it had misplaced its maintain over the constituency solely in 1996 and 1998 Lok Sabha polls when the Janata Dal and BJP had gained the seat, respectively.
Gulbarga has eight meeting seats of which Congress at present holds six, and BJP and JD(S) one every.
(Solely the headline and movie of this report might have been reworked by the Enterprise Customary workers; the remainder of the content material is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Revealed: Mar 07 2024 | 1:33 PM IST
