Bangalore: State Congress in Favour of October Election

Times of India

Bangalore, Jan 27: The Congress in Karnataka is not prepared to face the election heat in May and has favoured holding it in October under the new assembly constituencies map stipulated by the Delimitation Commission.

This was the consensus reached at a meeting of Union ministers, AICC and CWC members from Karnataka in New Delhi on Friday. “The consensus among the members was to have the polls in October. We are not prepared and also not settled internally,’’ sources told The Times of India.

he members also discussed the presidential notification to be issued for holding the elections under the new map as the Election Commission has admitted it would require four months to prepare the electoral list for this purpose. Besides, extension of President’s rule in Karnataka which ends on May 28, has to have Parliament’s approval.

S M Krishna

AICC general secretaries Prithviraj Chavan, Margaret Alva and M Veerappa Moily, Union ministers M V Rajasekharan, Oscar Fernandes and K H Muniyappa and CWC member G Parameshwara were those at the meeting. Later the members met party president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the deliberations.

It is learnt that some members expressed reservation about Maharashtra governor S M Krishna’s return to Karnataka politics and the proposal to make him chief of the coordination committee. But sources said this decision cannot be altered as Krishna had been sounded about the responsibility and was expected to resign from the govenor’s post by February first week. The reservation over Krishna is said to have been offset with the party deciding not to project any person as the chief ministerial candidate as it would be collective leadership. 

The entry of former minister M P Prakash was approved in principle at the meeting. Chavan will be in Bangalore on Sunday when former deputy CM Siddaramaiah’s eight supporters-former MLAs will be inducted into the party. 

“Chavan’s visit this time will have nothing to do with the panels that have to be set up or its composition. It will be for admitting Siddaramaiah’s men which has been pending,’’ they added.

Election Churn

• President’s rule imposed on Nov 28, ’07
• Polls to be completed by May 28, ’08
• President’s rule can be extended for six months provided Parliament okays it
• In that case polls can be postponed, but not beyond November 28, ’08
• Congress feels it may not fare well. But BJP and Janata Dal (S) feel an early election will benefit them

Bangalore: Krishna to Quit Post on Jan 29