BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge’s absence at the Congress party’s ‘Nava Sankalpa Shibira’ and his sudden departure to the national capital gave rise to speculation that the party wants to withdraw its candidate from the fray to support the JD(S) candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls to be held on June 10.
Kharge, who was in Bengaluru on Tuesday, overseeing preparations for the ‘shivir’ left for New Delhi on Wednesday and reportedly held talks with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on various issues related to state politics.
He could not meet party leader Rahul Gandhi who is said to be abroad
Kharge is expected to return on Friday with a message from Sonia. Friday is the last day to withdraw nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Party leaders, including AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, are expected to take a decision on whether to withdraw the party’s second candidate Mansur Ali Khan from the fray or not.
JD(S) candidate Kupendra Reddy was also on good terms with Kharge for several years and his candidature was discussed much earlier, the JD(S) leadership had reportedly claimed. The party supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda had spoken to Sonia Gandhi and Kharge recently.
Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is in Singapore since a few days, will return here on Friday. He had reportedly tried to placate five disgruntled JD(S) MLAs who are likely to cross-vote.
There was a buzz in the JD(S) camp that Congress may withdraw its candidate as if it failed to do so it would help the BJP’s third candidate Lehar Singh Siroya.
A similar message has been circulated among JD(S) MLAs but one has to wait and watch Kumaraswamy’s move if the Congress continued its candidate in the fray.
On June 9, the Congress party is expected to hold its legislature party meeting which will be chaired by its leader Siddaramaiah.
As the contest for the fourth seat is certain, all the three parties have apprehensions about some of its MLAs cross-voting or resorting to a strategy of remaining absent during the vote.
The parties are expected to move its MLAs to resorts to be on the safer side, sources said.
Meanwhile, in an interesting development on Thursday, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala and former CM and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy held a telephonic conversation, details of which were not known.
SONIA DETERMINED TO APPEAR BEFORE ED ON JUNE 8: SURJEWALA
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has tested positive for Covid-19, is determined to appear before the ED on June 8 in connection with the money laundering case, AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Thurs-day.
The ED on Wednesday summoned her and Waya-nad MP Rahul Gandhi in connection with the National Herald case Surjewala said Sonia has been meeting a series of leaders and activists over the past one week, and some of them have tested Covid positive.
“She had a very mild fever on Wednesday evening and consequently tested positive on Thursday. She has isolated herself… She is perfectly fine and is recovering,” he said.
