HAVERI: Gearing up for the forthcoming by-election for the Shiggaon assembly constituency, the Congress held a booth committee members' convention in Shiggaon, rallying its leaders and workers to work unitedly for the victory in this BJP stronghold.
The leaders also spoke about the achievements of the state government in the last one and a half years and the failure of the BJP-led central government.
The Shiggaon seat, previously represented by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, became vacant after his election to Parliament. Along with Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna constituencies will also have by-elections soon, following the election of their MLAs to Parliament.
Though the Election Commission is yet to announce the date, political parties have already initiated their groundwork.
In Shiggaon, the Congress aims to wrest the seat from the BJP, which Bommai has held since 2008. The party is riding high on its recent performance in the parliamentary elections, where Congress outpolled the BJP by more than 8,000 votes in the Shiggaon segment.
The Congress gathering, held at the Taluk Stadium, saw key leaders such as Ministers Eshwar Khandre, Shivananad Patil, Party's chief whip in Council Saleem Ahmed, KPCC Working Presidents JC Chandrashekar, and Vinay Kulkarni taking part.
The leaders chanted the mantra of unity, with ticket aspirants joining hands on stage in a show of solidarity, aiming to avoid the factionalism that has plagued previous elections.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Eshwar Khandre urged the Congress cadre to remain ready for the upcoming by-election, which could be announced anytime.
He took a swipe at the BJP, accusing it of using central agencies to pressure Congress leaders.
Khandre stressed the Congress government’s performance, highlighting that promises had been fulfilled in the past 16 months despite challenges. He dismissed attempts by the BJP to destabilize the state government and accused the BJP of indulging in communal politics and spreading baseless allegations, including charges related to the MUDA scam.
KPCC Working President Vinay Kulkarni emphasized the importance of unity, urging ticket aspirants to prioritize party success over personal ambitions. "Congress will not be defeated if there is unity," he remarked.
Minister Satish Jarkiholi echoed the call for unity, stating, "Congress has the chance of winning this election. A person will get the ticket and others should stand as support to him," he said.
He also stated that the focus must be on ensuring a Congress victory." The aspirants stood united during the meeting, pledging to support whoever is chosen to contest the by-election.
