Date:20/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/05/20/stories/2007052005260400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Congress confident of retaining Ullal Assembly seat, says Kharge

S. Rajendran

M. Mallikarjun Kharge

Bangalore: The Congress is confident of retaining the Ullal Assembly seat despite the Bharatiya Janata Party gaining strength in recent months and the Janata Dal (Secular) fielding a minority candidate.

"The Ullal Assembly constituency is a Congress bastion. Right from 1972, barring in two Assembly elections, Ullal has been won by the Congress. And in the byelection too we are confident of winning with a comfortable majority," Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge told The Hindu . He said the Congress party was not perturbed that the JD(S) had closed ranks with the BJP to cut into the secular votes of the Congress.

The JD(S) has fielded Aboobakar Natekar and the BJP candidate is Chandrashekar Uchil. The Congress has fielded U.T. Khader, son of the late U.T. Fareed, whose death necessitated the byelection. Fareed won the Ullal seat three times, and before him B.M. Idinabba of the Congress represented the constituency.

Mr. Kharge said the Ullal byelection had exposed "the so-called secular policy" of the JD(S) and the latter's claim of being compelled to head a coalition Government with the support of the BJP. "Why should the JD(S) contest the byelection when it has no presence in the coastal belt? The party's talk of maintaining equidistance from the Congress and the BJP is rubbish. It has clearly shown that it is one with the BJP."

None of the Central leaders of the Congress are likely to campaign for the party candidate. State leaders, including Union Minister Oscar Fernandes, the former KPCC president B. Janardhana Poojary and the former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily will lead the party's campaign along with Mr. Kharge and Leaders of the Opposition in the Assembly and Council N. Dharam Singh and H.K. Patil. Mr. Kharge and Mr. Singh will stay in Ullal until campaigning draws to a close.

Talks with CPI(M)

Mr. Kharge said the Congress did its best to convince the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has also fielded a candidate, Balakrishna Shetty, to support it. The CPI(M), however, was firm on contesting the seat since it had a good voter base in Ullal. The CPI(M) won the seat in 1962 (Krishna Shetty) and again in 1983 (P. Ramachandra Rao). Two independents, including a minority candidate, withdrew in favour of the Congress on Friday, which was the last day for withdrawal of nominations. Five candidates, including an independent, are left in the fray for the byelection.