Former Mayors, councillors among Assembly election ticket aspirants in Bengaluru
The Hindu
Bengaluru
Many former city councillors, including several former Mayors, are vying for the ticket to contest in the Assembly elections.
Former councillors and former Mayors from the BJP and the Congress are lobbying for ticket from various Assembly segments in the city, banking on their established network in the wards. Former Mayors M. Goutham Kumar of the BJP and Gangambike Mallikarjun of the Congress are lobbying for ticket from Shanthinagar constituency and Chickpet constituency, respectively.
Mr. Goutham Kumar confirmed to The Hindu that he was a ticket aspirant and said, “I am looking forward to the party ticket to contest the Assembly election as I am a two-time councillor. I have been convincing the party’s top leaders by putting forward my work during my tenure as Mayor, that too amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Shanthinagar constituency has been the stronghold of Congress MLA N.A. Haris.
In Chickpet constituency, in the heart of the city, Ms. Mallikarjun is seeking the Congress ticket to contest against incumbent MLA Uday B. Garudachar of the BJP. Sources in the Congress said Ms. Mallikarjun has approached senior leaders seeking the ticket with the help of party veteran and MLA for BTM Layout Ramalinga Reddy.
“I am interested in contesting from the Chickpet constituency and have approached senior leaders of the party. I am confident of being fielded by the party,” Ms. Mallikarjun said. Meanwhile, the former MLA from Congress R.V. Devraj and the former councillor R.V. Yuvraj are also ticket aspirants, while KGF Babu, who was recently suspended from the Congress, is also keen to contest from Chickpet.
The former Mayor G. Padmavathi of the Congress, who lost the 2018 Assembly polls against the BJP’s S. Suresh Kumar by 9,453 votes in Rajajinagar constituency, is planning to try her luck again from the constituency. Ms. Padmavathi said, “Despite losing the election, I have been doing my work in the constituency. I am confident that I will get the ticket this time too and win the election.”
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