Udupi: Congress Bigwigs Siddaramaiah, Parameshwar Join Bypoll Battle

Suvarna Brahmavar/Hemanath Padubidri/Shubhalakshmi
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (RD)

Udupi, Mar 8: With the race to the Udupi-Chikmagalur MLA seat hotting up by the minute, it was the turn of political bigwigs from Congress to descend on Udupi soil and try their hand at wooing the voters.

On Thursday March 8, while KPCC president G Parameshwar campaigned for K Jayaprakash Hegde, Congress candidate the Lok Sabha bypolls at Barkoor near here, opposition leader Siddaramaiah did the same while addressing voters.

KPCC chief secretary K P Nanjundi, Congressmen Pramod Madwaraj, Birti Rajesh Shetty and others accompanied Parameshwar.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah told voters at a gathering that BJP was responsible for forcing the bypoll on the people. "The BJP-led state administration has shown its true colours. For the first time in the history of state politics, 11 ministers have gone to jail or have probes against them. It is a characterless government, involved in corruption, illegal mining, denotification of lands, rave parties, porngate scandal etc," he said.

"Despite the fact that power situation in the state has worsened during the BJP regime, the energy minister blames the union government for not supplying adequate quantity of coal to generate electricity. As many as 123 taluks in the state are facing drought-like situation," he added.

He also took potshots at former CM B S Yeddyurappa and said, "Yeddyurappa need not rejoice over the recent court judgement that gave him relief, as there are eight more serious cases still pending in the court."

He urged the voters to cast their votes to Congress candidate Jayaparakash Hegde to 'cure the ills brought about by BJP'.

Congress leaders MLA Abhayachandra Jain, B K Mohan and others were present.