Siddu stakes all on Sonia meet

[1]

Congress leader Siddaramaiah, set to meet party president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, is reported to have conferred with his mentor Ahmed Patel on Monday night as speculation mounts over a Siddaramaiah climbdown over his resignation as leader of the opposition and more importantly, his tacit support for an Independent candidate in the June 11 Legislative Council elections.

The Mr Siddaramaiah-KPCC president G. Parameshwar feud which spilled into the open after the former failed to get party backing for even one of his candidates for the four council seats, has seen a fifth candidate file nominations as an independent.

If Independent candidate Bhairati Suresh, reportedly propped up by Mr Siddaramaiah, does not withdraw his candidature and wins at the cost of the Congress’ fourth man, the Kuruba strongman stands to lose the goodwill he has built up among the party cadres in the run up to the Rahul Gandhi visit on Saturday.

Mr Suresh, a businessman and a fellow Kuruba, is poised to take votes away from the Congress’ fourth candidate M.R. Seetharam. Though Mr Suresh will not get direct Congress votes as this could lay Mr Siddaramaiah and his supporters, open to charges of indiscipline, Mr Suresh is assured of 15 votes, eight excess votes of the JD(S) and seven from independents. He needs four more votes to win the election.

Mr Siddaramaiah is expected to pitch for the removal of Mr Parameshwar and the backing of the Congress president to lead the party into the next election when he meets Mrs Gandhi.

Will Siddu back off after meeting Sonia?
The crucial meeting between Congress leaders and Opposition leader in the Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah over his resignation from the post, may take place on Tuesday as all senior leaders were busy with the day-long Congress Working Committee(CWC) meeting on Monday.

Mr Siddaramaiah, who stunned both Congressmen and the ruling BJP alike, by quitting from the post on on Friday, reiterated after reaching New Delhi that he will not withdraw his resignation. He said it was upto the party high command to decide on accepting or rejecting his resignation.

Though he attended the CWC, he did not put forth his grievances, said sources, adding that the Kuruba strongman may be gunning for the numero uno position in the state Congress with less than a year left for the Assembly elections.

According to them, the former deputy CM has sought an appointment with AICC general secretary, Rahul Gandhi and party supremo, Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday. There is a likelihood of AICC general secretary from Karnataka, Oscar Fernandes holding talks with him and hearing out his grievances.

“In the Congress, no leader can create a situation wherein the party has to give in to him. In such circumstances, party leaders may force Siddaramaiah, who created this crisis because his candidates were left out of the Council poll list, to make amends and withdraw his resignation”, the sources added.