Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G. Parameshwara said in New Delhi on Saturday that the first list of party candidates for 150 Assembly constituencies would be announced in the first week of April. He also said that all party MLAs would get the ticket as the chances of their victory were bright.
He was speaking to presspersons after attending a party meeting that reviewed the lists of ticket aspirants prepared by various committees.
Among those who attended the meeting were Congress president Sonia Gandhi, All-India Congress Committee general secretary Madhusudhan Mistry, who is also in charge of Karnataka, and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah.
The leaders are learnt to have discussed the repercussions if those MLAs who left the party during Operation Lotus or those who cross-voted during the Legislative Council elections are accommodated despite opposition to it from within the party.
KPCC spokesman and former MLC B.A. Hasanabba admitted that the party rank and file was opposed to the admission of the former Minister for Forests C.P. Yogeshwar and fielding him from Channapatna.
Meanwhile, none of the top leaders, including KPCC office-bearers who are camping in Delhi, are likely to return home before the candidates for all the 224 Assembly constituencies are finalised by Ms. Gandhi.
