In a demonstration staged on Monday outside the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru, Youth Congress workers advocated for Mohammed Nalapad to receive a ticket from the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha Constituency. Nalapad currently holds the position of Youth Congress President in Karnataka.
This protest comes amidst Congress’s release of its initial list comprising 39 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Among the announced candidates, 16 hail from Kerala, seven from Karnataka, six from Chhattisgarh, four from Telangana, two from Meghalaya, and one each from Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Lakshwadeep. Additionally, Congress unveiled nominees for seven seats in Karnataka, including DK Suresh, who will contest from Bangalore Rural.
Responding to the poll schedule announcement, Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief BY Vijayendra launched a scathing critique of Congress, asserting that the prevailing sentiment in the state favors BJP. He highlighted Congress’s struggle to nominate candidates for Lok Sabha constituencies, attributing this difficulty to the growing support for BJP and Prime Minister Modi across Karnataka.
Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to kickstart his election campaign in Karnataka, particularly from Kalaburagi, signified apprehension towards Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress’s ability to secure 20 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, including Kalaburagi.
In the 2019 elections, Karnataka comprised 28 Lok Sabha seats, with BJP emerging victorious in 25 seats, Congress securing one, and JD(S) and independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh clinching one seat each, the latter with BJP’s support in the Mandya constituency.
