Sources in the Congress say party president Rahul Gandhi has given a go-ahead to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s plan to contest from two seats in upcoming Assembly elections — Chamundeshwari and Badami. Siddaramaiah was thought to be keeping a safe seat in north Karnataka region as a back-up after being convinced by his well-wishers about the dangers of relying only on the Chamundeshwari seat in view of a “deal” between JD(S) and the BJP there. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Chief (KPCC) Dr G Parameshwara, who had lost the last time by over 30,000 votes, is also likely to contest from two seats — Koratagere in Tumkur district and Pulikeshinagara in Bengaluru. The ruling party, meanwhile, is battling yet another piece of fake news and has denied a candidates’ list doing the rounds.
