Congress backs ‘dark horse’ Ugrappa for Ballari LS bypoll

BENGALURU: Congress MLC V S Ugrappa on Monday emerged as the party’s contender for the Ballari Lok Sabha bypoll, putting an end to the hopes of local aspirants.
AICC president Rahul Gandhi cleared the candidature of Ugrappa, a dark horse whose selection came as a surprise development, for the byelection to the Scheduled Tribe segment.
The MLC will file his nomination on Tuesday, the last date for candidates in the November 3 bypolls to three Lok Sabha and two assembly seats.
Ugrappa pipped Ballari rural MLA B Nagendra’s brother B Venkatesh Prasad in what had narrowed down to a twoway race. There were political implications involved in the selection of the Congress candidate for the seat, which former party president Sonia Gandhi contested in 1999.
While Prasad reportedly had the support of minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, water resources minister D K Shivakumar’s bête noire, there was lack of consensus on the candidate among party MLAs in the district. This was evident when the MLAs failed to attend party meetings in Bengaluru last week on selection of the Congress candidate. The party finally issued the MLAs an ultimatum to attend a meeting presided over by former chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Siddaramaiah floated Ugrappa’s name, sources said, to checkmate Shivakumar and the Jarkiholi brothers, who are at loggerheads. The party high command was also not in favour of Prasad because Nagendra has been pitching for a cabinet berth for himself.
Ugrappa is from Pavagada in Tumakuru district and this could prove to be a major obstacle for him in the election as the BJP is sure to project him as an outsider. The BJP has fielded Ballari strongman, party MLA B Sriramulu’s sister J Shantha. Ugrappa was nominated to the council in June 2014; his term was to last till 2020.
“My victory is a 100% certainty,” an elated Ugrappa said. “The outsider tag will not come in my way.” The MLC had unsuccessfully contested the Chitradurga Lok Sabha seat in 1989 and 1991 as the candidate of H D Deve Gowda’s Samajwadi Janata Party.
The party high command decided that Ugrappa would be a better choice, should he win, to represent the party in Parliament for the few months before the 2019 general election, sources said. Ugrappa has been vocal on the issue of illegal mining and is an advocate.
“Since Ugrappa belongs to no camp, all leaders of Ballari district will work for his victory,” a KPCC functionary said.