KPCC formally invites Rahul Gandhi to contest LS polls from Karnataka
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress on Monday wrote to party president Rahul Gandhi inviting him to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the state.
In a letter to the Congress chief ahead of his rally in Kalaburagi, Pradesh Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao said his candidature from Karnataka will boost the party's rank and file in entire south India.
"The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee takes pride to invite you to kindly contest from Karnataka in the coming Lok Sabha election.
"Our state has stood by the Congress party whenever we were in troubled times. The present scenario in India is that our party will emerge stronger in the ensuing elections," Rao said.
Rao said the ruling "NDA is losing its shine and our alliance in the south is on a strong wicket".
The Congress earlier this month had announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest from his bastion Amethi and Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday had tweeted that Karnataka unit of Congress wants Rahul Gandhi to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from the state.
Calling Rahul Gandhi the "next Prime Minister of India", the Congress Legislature Party leader had recalled his grandmother Indira Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi contesting Lok Sabha polls from Karnataka in the past.
Pointing out that Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi contested and won the polls from Karnataka, Rao said, "Sir, your acceptance to contest will be enthusiastically welcomed by our party workers and this decision by you will give very good message across south India."
While Indira Gandhi had scripted her political comeback from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka after the Emergency by winning the Lok Sabha bypolls in 1978, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had contested and won from Ballari in 1999, trouncing Sushma Swaraj.
Interestingly, the Congress has ceded Chikkamagaluru seat to its alliance partner JD(S) this time, while Ballari remains with the grand old party.
The request comes amid reports about demands within the Congress party for Rahul Gandhi to contest from one of the seats in the South.
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TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
