Bengaluru: The governing Congress remained locked in last-minute negotiations over candidate selection for Davanagere South and Bagalkot assembly seats Saturday, with internal divisions delaying a decision.With BJP announcing its candidates Thursday and Monday being the last date to file nominations for the April 9 by-elections, Congress is under pressure to finalise its names.AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said candidates will be announced by Sunday morning. He also said the KPCC president and the chief minister will send their recommendations, after which AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will take a final call.Surjewala said extensive consultations were held to accommodate competing interests.“We have considered even the slightest dissent among party workers. If one worker has a different opinion, it must be heard. That is the Congress party. We will not bulldoze any opinion,” he added.In Davanagere, the party is caught between demands from minority functionaries and the influential Shamanuru family. In Bagalkot, the contest is largely within the HY Meti family. Surjewala camped in the state to resolve the deadlock.Friday, he had held separate meetings with CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and also consulted election in-charges of both constituencies.While Bagalkot discussions were said to be nearing a resolution, tensions escalated in Davanagere. Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and others pushed for a minority community candidate, holding discussions with Kharge and Surjewala. At the same time, minister SS Mallikarjun strongly backed a ticket for his son Samarth Shamanur.Samarth and local functionary Sadique Pailwan have filed nominations without the party’s ‘B’ form.
