Congress Names KV Gowtham For Kolar Lok Sabha Seat Amid Internal Turmoil

Earlier, five Congress legislators on Wednesday threatened to resign if Chikka Peddanna, the son-in-law of senior party leader and Minister K H Muniyappa, was nominated to contest from Kolar.

Kolar was a bastion of the Congress party until 2019.

Source : Facebook/GowthamKV

Amid intense lobbying and internal discord, All India Congress Committee (AICC) finally announced KV Gowtham as its nominee for the Kolar Reserve Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka on Saturday. The announcement of KV Gowtham's nomination came after five Congress legislators on Wednesday threatened to resign if Chikka Peddanna, the son-in-law of senior party leader and Minister K H Muniyappa, was nominated to contest from Kolar.

On Saturday, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal said, "The Central Election Committee has approved the candidature of Shri K.V. Gowtham as Congress candidate to contest the ensuing general elections to the Lok Sabha from 28- Kolar SC Parliamentary constituency of Karnataka."

Congress nominates KV Gowtham to contest from 20-Kolar(SC) Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka pic.twitter.com/om5Gihoaul

— ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2024

 

After protests by 3 MLAs and 2 MLCs concerning the nomination of his son-in-law for an election ticket in Kolar, Karnataka Minister and Congress leader KH Muniyappa declared, "I will abide to the decisions of the Congress party. Let the party high command make the decision."

Earlier, Karnataka Deputy CM and state Congress President DK Shivakumar addressed the issue and said that no one would resign from the party. Further, he emphasised that there was unity among the party workers in Kolar. 

Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "There is pressure from candidates for election ticket from Kolar. It will be discussed in a meeting with the CM. No one will resign from the party over this. All party leaders will work together in Kolar," he said.

Kolar was a bastion of the Congress party until 2019. In the general elections in 2019, Muniswamy of BJP bagged the seat. Earlier, from 1991-2014, the seat was represented by Congress leader KH Muniyappa.