The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Bangalore): The Congress party is in the midst of a challenging process to finalize its candidates for the three Lok Sabha segments in Bangalore, areas long dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With the electoral battle heating up, the party is considering various strategies and potential candidates to strengthen its position in these key constituencies.
In a significant move, the party is leaning towards nominating Sowmya Reddy, the daughter of senior Minister Ramalinga Reddy and a former MLA, for the Bangalore South constituency—a stronghold of the BJP since 1991. The decision is backed by internal surveys favoring Sowmya, but the final call is eagerly awaited from Ramalinga Reddy, who is taking time to gauge the sentiment within the local leadership.
Sowmya Reddy, known for her representation of the Jayanagar Assembly constituency, narrowly missed re-election in the 2023 Assembly polls, losing by a mere 16 votes to the BJP’s CK Ramamurthy. This history adds complexity to the decision-making process for her potential candidacy.
Should Sowmya Reddy decide against running, the Congress has other potential candidates in mind, including Govindarajanagar MLA Priya Krishna, party spokesperson Niketh Raj Mourya, and former Youth Congress national campaign head Y B Srivatsa.
In the Bangalore Central segment, recent events such as the blast at Rameshwaram Cafe have prompted reconsideration of the party’s initial strategy to field a Muslim candidate. Alternatives now include B V Srinivas, president of the Indian Youth Congress, and Srivatsa, depending on the party’s final stance on representing the minority community or opting for a Hindu candidate.
For Bangalore North, the Congress is contemplating nominating figures like M V Rajeev Gowda, vice-chairperson of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission, and Priya Krishna, with both candidates belonging to the Vokkaliga community, indicating the party’s strategic approach towards community representation in this electoral contest.
As the Congress navigates through these decisions, the party aims to solidify its electoral strategy against the BJP’s longstanding influence in Bangalore, reflecting the dynamic nature of political alignments and candidate selection processes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
