Eye on Assembly poll tickets? Cong aspirants join Mekedatu padayatra

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Several aspirants for the Congress ticket and the sons and daughters of Congress leaders are participating in the relaunched Mekedatu padayatra hoping that it will give a fillip to their electoral hopes in the 2023 Assembly elections.

They include Nayana Motamma, Kusuma Hanumantharayappa, Mohammed Nalpad and Dr Pushpa Amarnath besides many defeated candidates who are marching with KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Leader Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in the Council B.K.Hariprasad, KPCC Working Presidents Salim Ahmed, Ramalinga Reddy and Eshwar Khandre from Ramanagar to Bengaluru.

However, Dr Pushpa Amarnath strongly denied that she was participating in the padayatra with an eye on the Congress ticket. She said “We are marching for a cause which is totally apolitical. Giving tickets to winnable candidates is the prerogative of the high command”

In fact, the KPCC President has already clarified that there are no political strings attached to the agitation as it is for Bengalureans who are struggling for drinking water. But sources told News Trail that several senior leaders had asked their sons, daughters and close relatives to join the padayatra so that it may be an added advantage at the time of finalising candidates for the coming Assembly polls.