Ugrappa is Congress candidate from Ballari Lok Sabha seat

BENGALURU: The Congress has cleared the name of MLA V.S.Ugrappa for Ballari (ST) Lok Sabha seat. The party favoured his candidature after sitting MLA Nagendra's brother Venkatesh Prasad's name was met with resistance from within the party.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, K.C.Venugopal told ET that the party will be fielding Ugrappa, and both Congress and JD(S) leaders will be working for his success. The leaders from both parties will also campaign together in other two Lok Sabha constituencies and two Assembly segments.

Ugrappa, a confidante of former CM Siddaramaiah, will take on BJP MLA B.Sriramulu's sister Shantha, who was a BJP MP from 2009 to 2014.

Ugrappa hails from Tumakuru district, and had long eyed this seat. The constituency shot to fame after it elected Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in an epic electoral battle with Sushma Swaraj of BJP in 1999 Lok Sabha polls. Ugrappa's way was cleared after Congress leader Justice NY Hanumanthappa switched sides and joined the BJP some time ago.