Kharge to contest from Gulbarga? DKS says final call to be made by Congress chief

New Delhi: Amid speculation about Mallikarjun Kharge contesting Lok Sabha elections, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said only the Congress chief’s name has been proposed for Gulbarga.

Shivakumar said a final call on contesting the Lok Sabha election is to be taken by Kharge though a lot of people have requested that he should contest from his stronghold in this election.

The candidate for Gulbarga did not find a mention in the first list released on Friday evening.

“Only one name has been proposed from the constituency. Ultimately, the decision has to be taken by Kharge ji. He is the Congress president. It is his call to make. He also has to travel across the country as he has more responsibilities,” he told reporters after a meeting with Kharge here.

Kharge (82) has lost the last Lok Sabha elections from Gulbarga, his first electoral defeat in five decades of his political career. Following this, he was shifted to Rajya Sabha where he became Leader of Opposition and eventually the party chief.

He had won from Gulbarga seat in 2009 and 2014.

Earlier there was speculation about fielding Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani, a businessman from Kalaburagi.

Doddamani, a native of Kalaburagi, has so far maintained a low profile though he is said to be popular among party workers and supporters, especially in the Gurmitkal Assembly segment, which Kharge represented between 1972 and 2004. Doddamani used to manage Gurumital seat for Kharge for many years, sources said.

Though he has been closely associated with Kharge’s political life, Doddamani has always kept a distance from electoral politics as Karnataka Minister Priyank, who is Kharge’s son, is also involved in active politics.

Congress has initiated discussions on finalising candidates with the party's Central Election Committee meeting holding a meeting on Thursday. The CEC is learnt to have cleared the names for 11 constituencies.