Bengaluru, Mar 29 : Thanks to the intervention of the AICC President Rahul Gandhi, the sitting Congress Lok Sabha member Mudduhanumegowda, who had filed his nomination to retain his seat from Tumakuru, is likely to withdraw his candidature.
He was upset over the denial of ticket to retain his seat as the Central party leaders had conceded the Tumakuru seat to alliance partner JD(S) during the seat sharing agreement.
Mudduhanumegowda was the only sitting Lok Sabha member out of 10 Congress MPs who was denied ticket to contest the general elections from Karnataka.
Upset with the denial of the party ticket, Mudduhanumegowda had decided to remain in the fray as an independent candidate after holding meeting with his supporters in Tumakuru district.
KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara, in their efforts to pacify Gowda to withdraw his nomination paper, held several rounds of talks with the disgruntled party MP.
Speaking to newsmen after his decision to withdraw to withdraw his nomination, Mudduhanumegowda said that “Party High Command has directed me to withdraw from the contest”.
Replying to questions, he said that “I will announce my decision at a meeting of my supporters in Tumakuru”.
Former Prime Minister and JDS National President H D Deve Gowda, who had fielded his grand son Prajwal Revanna from his traditional Hassan seat is the Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate and had filed his nomination papers, on March 25.
If Mudduhanumegowda was to withdraw his nomination, then it would be a straight fight between the BJP candidate G S Basavaraju and Deve Gowda in the Vokkaliga dominated Tumakuru Lok Sabha constituency.
