Bengaluru: In a twist to the Karnataka Congress' effort on finalising candidates for the Assembly polls, some members of the party's election committee are said to have asked for new names to be added to the existing list of ticket probables.
The KPCC election committee comprising 50-odd members met at a resort on the outskirts of the city on Thursday where the party's working presidents submitted a panel of ticket aspirants for each constituency. The working presidents shortlisted 1-4 names in each constituency based on inputs from district and block units.
However, during the meeting, some members felt that additional names should be added before the list is sent to the screening committee.
Sensing that the discussion could take a wrong turn, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who oversees the party's affairs, asked "dissenting" members to give in writing the additional names of aspiring candidates, sources said.
The party is already past its Sankranthi deadline of announcing its first list of candidates for the Assembly election.
The screening committee is expected to be constituted in a couple of days. This committee will vet the names recommended by the state unit. Finally, the screening committee will send one or two names per constituency to the AICC. "The first list of 130-140 candidates might take up to three weeks for announcement," a source said.
Sitting MLAs jittery
Earlier in the day, Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar indicated that "almost all" sitting MLAs would get the ticket. However, at the KPCC election committee, it was decided to leave the final decision to the AICC.
Congress currently holds 70 constituencies. The KPCC working presidents, in their reports, have recommended sitting MLAs as the only option for the ticket in all the 70 constituencies. "There are some MLAs who might lose. But, we can't be seen as denying them the ticket. So, we have recommended their names and AICC will take a final call," a senior leader said.
Shivakumar told reporters that sitting Congress MLAs had performed well. "Despite non-cooperation from the BJP government, our MLAs were with people and they did well," he said.
According to Shivakumar, the party will discuss district-wise the ticket aspirants shortlisted by the party's working presidents. "Delhi leaders will get their own survey done. We're also doing a survey. The screening committee will decide based on all this," he said.